Today's Edition
Trust one person to play true to a brand ambassador role to perfection – Rory McIlroy. Ever since he served notice to the world with the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic title, he has been serving the sport to the tee.
And from the closing stages of the past season to the eve of the first event of the 2024 calendar, he has proved to be a conscientious ambassador as well – for his parent DP World Tour (aka European Tour), the PGA Tour and the future generation.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Dubai Invitational, McIlroy expressed his concerns as the golfing world addresses the biggest question on its future with the arrival of Saudi Arabia-backed team-based league of riches, LIV Golf.
The Northern Irishman feels that the days of golfers being independent contractors are changing as the PGA Tour and LIV Golf continue to negotiate a merger that could reshape the future of the sport.
In November, a day before the season-ending DP World Tour, McIlroy resigned as the players’ representative on the Board of Directors. An opponent in principles to LIV Golf, it was a sign of taking a moral stand, although he said it was to “devote more time to the game and family”.
On Wednesday, he said that while he may not have changed his views on LIV Golf completely, he could see some of the positives that have come out of it. LIV Golf League has been able to put together a global schedule and guarantee the presence of stars in all their events.
“When you look at how much these media companies are paying for sporting events, I think you have to be able to guarantee them the product they are paying for,” said the four-time major champion, now ranked second in the world.
“In my opinion, I would say that people [players] would have to be contracted and sign up to a certain number of events every year; that the sponsors and media partners know that the guys they want to be there are going to be in their events.
“You can’t ask these media rights partners, or the sponsors, for as much money as they’re being asked for, if they are unable to guarantee them the product that they want. It can’t happen unless you want to regress and go back to playing for the money we played for 10 years ago.
“If the guys want to do that and stay independent contractors, that’s fine. But the sponsors that are either pulling out of the PGA Tour or are considering it because of the numbers that they are having to put up. They’re not seeing all the stuff that I’ve said.”
McIlroy was getting frustrated when the Tours opposing the entry of LIV Golf then decided to thrash out a framework of a deal to take the sport forward. A deadline of December 31 to do so has passed.
The conscience of McIlroy, meanwhile, made him admit on a podcast that he “became too judgemental” on fellow golfers such as close friend Jon Rahm when they decided to jump ship to LIV Golf on being guaranteed big sums of money.
“I still don’t think it’s a good product. But I was maybe too judgemental of the players that went there. I still don’t think it’s doing anything for the game, or if it is, I don’t think it’s huge.
“But I think if done in a different way, it could be beneficial. But the fact that it sort of created this division, and this sort of upheaval in the game for the last two years, I don’t think has been great.
“But yeah... once I stepped back a little bit and I could reflect on my own, I could see why players would join them. The reason that amateur golfers turn professional is to make money playing the game. And if an entity or a person is willing to pay you more for your services than someone else, I understand why you’d join them. I don’t have to agree with it, but I can understand it.”
Greg Norman, the chief of LIV Golf, said last week: “I appreciate and want to thank Rory for falling on his sword, because he jumped to many conclusions.”
