Rory McIlroy has softened his stance on LIV Golf in recent months, but that doesn’t mean the PGA Tour star has any plans of ever joining the Saudi-backed golf league.
One of LIV’s biggest critics since its inception, McIlroy has expressed a want for pro golf to get back to being more united even if that means the PGA Tour finalising a deal with the rival circuit. And he’s said he hopes LIV players like Jon Rahm can still play in the Ryder Cup. Those comments led his former manager, Chubby Chandler, to even speculate that McIlroy is paving the way for a PGA Tour defection.
Rory McIlroy’s evolving stance on LIV Golf and the PIF: A comprehensive timeline
But in an interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith on Wednesday at Bay Hill, McIlroy once again shot down those rumours. And in emphatic fashion.
“It’s not for me. I’m too much of a traditionalist,” McIlroy told Smith. “I love winning golf tournaments and looking at the trophy and seeing that Sam Snead won this trophy or Ben Hogan or Gene Sarazen or Jack Nicklaus or Gary Player, Tiger Woods or Nick Faldo, whoever it is, the people that came before me. That to me is a big deal in our game. If we were to all put our heads together and be like, ‘OK, what can we do to all come back together and move forward and be a little more cohesive?’ Then I would sort of be for that.”
So there you have it. Here’s the clip of the interview:
No one was more vehemently against LIV Golf than Rory McIlroy. No one defended the PGA Tour more aggressively.
From afar, his stance seems to have softened. Speculation ensued.
At Bay Hill Weds I asked him directly what consideration he’s given to joining LIV:“It’s not for me.” pic.twitter.com/1rQiq6X94g
— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) March 7, 2024
McIlroy his playing in this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, one of the PGA Tour’s signature events. The 2018 tournament winner has continued his slow start to 2024 in the US – he won on the DP World Tour in Dubai in January – with rounds of 73-70.
