13 July 2023 , 18:08
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Having avoided questions on the framework agreement between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) on Wednesday, Rory McIlroy has finally had his say at this week's Scottish Open.
The usual discussion heading into the event is often dominated by the preparation going into the Open Championship which comes one week later, and whilst there has been some major chat, the biggest talking point has been the PGA Tour 's deal with PIF. The shock agreement will see the Tour work alongside rivals LIV Golf, as well as the DP World Tour.
Heading into this week's tournament a number of players had discussed the proposed merger, most notably Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth, who appeared to criticise the handling of the saga by commissioner Jay Monahan.
Of course the opinion most wanted to hear was McIlroy's, having played such a huge role in the PGA Tour-LIV Golf saga. The Northern Irishman initially opened up at last month's RBC Canadian Open when the deal was just one or two days old.
Nearly six weeks on McIlroy has spoken once more, and has as often been the case over the past 12 months he has not held back. Here is a deeper look into the big talking points the four-time major champion has raised in a rollercoaster month for professional golf.
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Retirement over joining LIV Golf
Despite tensions appearing to ease in recent weeks on the back of the deal, it is fair to say McIlroy's stance is not changing. In a brutal slamming following Thursday's opening round at the Scottish Open, McIlroy claimed he would rather retire from golf than compete on the breakaway circuit.
“If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on earth, I would retire,’’ McIlroy said. “That’s how I feel about it.’’
McIlroy happy to 'distance' himself from Senate saga
One topic McIlroy had not yet discussed was the PGA Tour's hearing in front of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, but he has now broken his silence. Tour officials appeared in front of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations to give evidence on the reasons for working with the Saudis.
Rory McIlroy said he would 'retire' before joining LIV Golf (Getty Images)McIlroy himself has played a bigger role than anyone in the saga over the past 12 months, but on the back of the recent chapter he is keen to concentrate on his golf. Discussing the Senate hearing he said: "There wasn’t’ a lot of new information in there for me... As I said, I’ve almost been too close the last year and a bit. So nice to be able to try to distance myself a bit.”
Jay Monahan trust issues
On the back of the deal many have been quick to question the position of commissioner Monahan, who had spent 12 months criticising PIF's funding into LIV Golf before deciding to join forces on behalf of the Tour. This led to the likes of Spieth and Schauffele saying that an element of trust had been lost with the man in charge.
McIlroy though is still backing Monahan, having known more than most about the deal. "Maybe not as serious for me because I sort of knew what was going on, so I wasn't quite as in the dark as some of the other guys, but yeah, people felt blindsided by it, and I can obviously understand why Jordan and Xander and a lot of other guys would feel that way.”
McIlroy 'hates' LIV Golf
Rolling it back to last month, McIlroy was quick to comment on the proposed merger between the PGA Tour an LIV Golf, but again was in no mood to change his opinion. So much so the Northern Irishman admitted his 'hate' for the breakaway league at the RBC Canadian Open.
Rory McIlroy has played a big role in the PGA Tour saga (AP)"I still hate LIV Golf. You have to look that in ten years it is going to be good for the game. I don’t understand a lot of the intricacies of what is going on," McIlroy claimed. "Whether you like it or not, the PIF were going to keep spending money in golf. How can you get the money into the game and spend it in the right way. At least the PGA Tour can now control that. At the end of the day, money talks.”
The 'sacrificial lamb'
McIlroy had put his neck on the line for the PGA Tour, sticking by the American-based circuit and slamming its LIV rivals in somewhat of a player spokesman role. This probably made the merger all the harder for him, having towed the PGA Tour line for so long.
And he made this clear last month. He said: "It is hard for me not to feel like a sacrificial lamb. I have put myself out there. I can see that this is better for golf. As an individual, there are going to be conversations.”
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