‘Not Going to Sit Here and Lie’: Rory McIlroy Surprisingly Showers Kind Words Towards LIV Golf, Amidst Court Battle With PGA Tour

Since its inception, the rebel against the newly-former LIV Golf Series has found an able leader in Rory McIlroy. The four-time major championship winner has voiced his concerns on the formation of the league itself, with criticisms over its conduction and ethics. But despite all the loathing, McIlroy has accepted LIV Golf’s aid in improving the standards of players around the world.

Rory McIlroy finally credits the LIV Golf Series

The 33-year-old was speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Players Championship later this week. Aside from a host of topics surrounding golf, the battle between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour is set to take center stage in a California court.

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What did golf’s most vocal critic comment about the matter? Normally hard-hitting with his words about LIV, McIlroy was reserved about his opinion and admitted to the betterment of players since the rebel league’s inception.

“I’m not going to sit here and lie; I think the emergence of LIV or the emergence of a competitor to the PGA Tour has benefited everyone that plays elite professional golf,” a blunt McIlroy replied.

He also revealed that the arrival of the LIV Golf Series forced the PGA Tour to make much-needed amendments. “I think when you’ve been the biggest golf league in the biggest market in the world for the last 60 years, there’s not a lot of incentive to innovate,” he said.

LIV Golf isn’t PGA Tour’s only competition, McIlroy reveals

In continuation to his reply, McIlroy also revealed that the PGA Tour faces more than one challenger in its quest to be golf’s undisputed governing body. But what other factors were hindering the PGA Tour?

“The PGA TOUR isn’t just competing with LIV Golf or other sports. It’s competing with Instagram and TikTok and everything else that’s trying to take eyeballs away from the PGA TOUR as a product,” he said.

On the work front, McIlroy last played at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where a poor finish on the final few holes left him stranded for a runner-up finish. However, it was a sign of improvement after the Brit’s dismal performances at the prior WM Phoenix Open and the Genesis Open.

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