Rickie Fowler appearance in Hawaii might confirm Rory McIlroy's PGA Tour fears
Rickie Fowler did not have sponsorship logos for longtime partners Rocket Mortgage or Farmers Insurance in Hawaii, potentially proving PGA loyalist Rory McIlroy 's sponsorship fears right amid the rivalry with Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Former world No.1 McIlroy raised concerns over an "unsustainable" PGA path, with the Tour trying to go toe-to-toe with the rebel LIV league but over-charging sponsors - who are fleeing.
McIlroy has been one of LIV Golf's biggest critics and the PGA's most loyal top star but the Northern Irishman has started to walk back the previous stance amid talks of a merger.
"Competition is good to help improve the sport of golf overall, but the PGA tour competing with LIV and the Saudi’s money is completely unsustainable," he said on the Stick to Football Podcast. "You’re never going to win a fight if you’re going money for money because we’ve seen that in other sports where no one is spending money like the Saudis.
“So how can you tilt the odds in your favour so that you can make your product better, that you can make fans want to engage with you more? I think that’s how the PGA tour can 'win this fight' because there’s negotiations going on and everyone is trying to come back together, which I think would be good for golf.
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“It put the PGA tour in a position where they had to spend a lot of money that put them on a path that was unsustainable and now you’re seeing some sponsors are pulling out because the tour is asking for so much money and the sponsors can’t afford it – they’re asking sponsors to pay $20-25million to sponsor an event but they’re not seeing the value in it as they can’t guarantee the top 50 guys will be playing, so they won’t give them the money.”
McIlroy has recently conceded that he may have been too harsh on his rivals who jumped ship for the lucrative Saudi Tour. "I was maybe a little judgmental of the guys who went to LIV Golf at the start," said the four-time major champion. "I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realize that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Woods' position."
Rory McIlroy has performed an LIV Golf backtrack (Getty)He has also labelled Jon Rahm's £450 million switch to LIV as "opportunistic" and a smart business decision, with a merger bringing the sport back together looking likely. Rahm can earn more than a pretty buck in the meantime.
He added: "Jon is a smart guy. I think he sees things coming together at some point so he’s thinking that he’ll take the upfront money, which is his prerogative, and if things come together, he’ll play LIV for a year then come back to play on the tour and play some team golf.
"I thought it was a smart business move from Jon – it’s opportunistic. I think he sees that things will come back together and he’s in a lucky position."
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