Frustrated Rory McIlroy Cautions Jay Monahan & Co With Stern 6-Word Advice; Calls LIV Golf Merger Delay a ‘Shame’

Earlier this year, Rory McIlroy continued his softened stance on LIV Golf. He admitted that he was too judgmental over the players moving to the PIF-backed league and that LIV Golf exposed some of the flaws in the PGA Tour. While the Northern Irishman and the golf community at large have moved on from the past, it is currently the delay in the merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour has been a source of frustration for fans and players alike. A frustrated Mcllroy offered a short, yet stern advice to Monahan, and said “There needs to be a correction.”

The deal that was supposed to have been concluded by December 31, 2023, is still pending. Highlighting this concern, McIlroy talked about how the continued split isn’t beneficial for the sport. In an interview with Golf Monthly, the 34-year-old further elaborated, I think what’s happening is not sustainable right now, so something needs to happen to try to bring it all back together so we can all move forward so we don’t have this division that’s sort of ongoing.”

“We’re probably still quite a long ways from it, but I would hope that in the future that we can get there, unify the game and get the best players back together again. It sucks as a competitor that I only get to see and compete against some of those guys four times a year, because ultimately they do have some of the best players in the world that are playing some really good golf.

“To not see the very best players in the world together more often I think is a shame for the overall game of golf and for fans that want to watch the pro game around the world.”

The four-time major champion highlighted the need for both leagues to find common ground and said, “They keep going down those different paths and I just don’t see how that benefits anyone in the long run. … I think [it’s] a shame for the overall game of golf.”

The merger talks between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have dragged on for quite a while, from June 6 last year to be precise, but no promising update has come so far. Since the merger news came out, Mcllroy even stepped down from the PGA Tour’s policy board (Nov 2023), reasoning that “something had to give” considering he wanted to do his own stuff: the game of golf, professional, and personal. 

And in a blow to the ongoing talks, during January this year, the PGA Tour secured a $3 billion deal with Strategic Sports Group (SSG), a consortium of U.S. sports team owners. In fact, last month Jay Monahan told reporters that the PGA Tour is ready to move ahead alone if the LIV Golf deal cannot be finalized.

The 24-time PGA Tour winner, who once expressed that he felt like he was a “sacrificial lamb” after the shocking merger news came out, has been a strong proponent of turning the game global over the past couple of months, as well as allowing the bygone LIV Golfers a chance to remedy their actions and come back and play in the merged entity without any punishment or sanctions being imposed on them.

Last month, McIlroy in an interview with Sky Bet’s Stick to Football podcast even said that LIV Golf exposed the PGA Tour’s flaws. He said, “I think what LIV has done, it’s exposed the flaws in the system of what golf has, because we’re all supposed to be independent contractors and we can pick and choose what tournaments we want to play.” 

His recent words highlighting how dreams of unification are still a far-fetched reality come shortly after the viral “constructive” meeting of Jay Monahan and PGA Tour board members, including Tiger Woods, with the PIF in the Bahamas. But is McIlroy the only player in favor of the players coming back without paying any penance? Not really! Just recently, Collin Morikawa also highlighted the fact he would like to play together with everyone.

Not everyone in the PGA Tour world agrees with Rory McIlroy’s take on a rushed and consequence-free return for LIV Golf defectors. Golfers on this side of the spectrum include big names like Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, and even Player Director Tiger Woods.

Other PGA Tour members’ take on the LIV Golfers’ penance-free return

While Thomas highlighted the fact that a “handful of players on LIV” are in a position to make things better on this side of the golf world, he disagreed with the fact that “they should just be able to come back that easily.”

Scottie Scheffler is of the same opinion. He highlighted that while there is no “bad blood,” defections were of “different levels” and impacted the Tour severely. Thus, it would be less than ideal if the bygone players returned “like nothing ever happened.”

Furthermore, Tiger Woods also highlighted that the authorities and the PAC are currently looking into “varying degrees of ideas” for a fair model of return for these golfers and that “daily talks” are being conducted. He did not support a simple penance-free return like the global golf advocate.

Which side of the spectrum are you on? Let us know in the comments below!

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