‘Traditionalist’ Rory McIlroy Arrives Too Little Too Late in the Dubious Times of the Post-LIV Era

Rory McIlroy clarified that he had a zero percent chance of joining LIV Golf. A week ago, that was “somewhere in the middle” of 0–10%. The tongue-in-cheek at Cognizant Classic came in response to his former agent’s notion that McIlroy might bolt to the Greg Norman-fronted league. But when ESPN’s Marty Smith put the question in front of Ulsterman, McIlroy was stern and serious.

“It’s not for me. I’m too much of a traditionalist. I’m steeped in the… I love winning golf tournaments and looking at the trophy and seeing Sam Snead won this trophy, or Ben Hogan or Gene Sarazen or Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods or Nick Faldo – whoever it is – the people that came before me. That, to me, is a big deal in our game.”

Now where have we heard this before? 

It has been a staple excuse for players to fend off any speculation before making the jump. This is not to say Rory McIlroy will follow suit. This is also not to say that the four-time Major winner should have kept his diatribe against the LIV golfers. Rather, the fact that McIlroy’s tongue-in-cheek landed so badly and he had to ‘explain’ a joke is, in fact, telling of the deep distrust around professional golf.

Echoes from a not-so-distant past?

Jon Rahm was also a traditionalist. More than Rory McIlroy, one could argue. That didn’t stop him from switching sides, however. A few months before that, another LIV golfer was checking the names of previous winners at Fanling. Cameron Smith, in search of his mojo, arrived at the Hong Kong Open, where Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Ian Poulter, Padraig Harrington, and Rory McIlroy had hoisted the trophy in the past. 

Tradition and legacy have been an irreplaceable part of golf, not something unique to McIlroy or Rahm. Viktor Hovland, too, said legacy matters to him more than money. Now, it’s easy to point at the Spaniard’s defection as the last straw for fans. But this cynicism is also very typical of everything that went wrong after LIV Golf’s arrival. 

To borrow from McIlroy again, Jay Monahan “galvanized” players against the PIF-funded side before deciding that a partnership, not outright rivalry, is a better option. That has also raised a lot of questions about how LIV golfers will be assimilated once they join PGA Tour Enterprises. McIlroy would have them come without any punishment. Rickie Fowler, Scottie Scheffler, and others would rather see some sort of repercussion. It’s also the kind of divide that has made the OWGR a political tool.

OWGR has lost its relevance, not only for LIV Golf players but PGA Tour pros too

Not just LIV golfers, but many PGA Tour pros feel that the world ranking has become meaningless. Matt Fitzpatrick doesn’t “really look at them or pay attention to them anymore.” Viktor Hovland feels, “When you have a huge chunk of really, really good players that are not getting any ranking points, it definitely devalues that ranking.” Xander Schauffele believes that LIV golfers deserve a better spot than where they currently are.

Then there is Patrick Cantlay. The player-director said from Bay Hill, “I think that there’s been so much uncertainty and change in the last couple years that it’s inevitable that things need to be updated or things need to be changed. I don’t know if we’ve worked through all the changes necessary, compared to all the changes that have happened in the last couple years.”

While the soft-spoken 31-year-old has never been an outspoken critic of LIV Golf in the past, his admission was surprising nonetheless. Rarely have the Tour pros raised their voices in support of their peers from the other side.

But is that a positive development?

While a large section agrees that the OWGR system needs to go through some changes to reflect the current scenario more accurately, there is no unified voice on the ways to go about it. Data Golf has been floated once or twice, but a departure from OWGR will open a can of worms. 

What does LIV Golf Chief, Greg Norman’s decision signal?

The reason behind the renewed interest in world ranking points was, of course, Norman’s message to LIV players that the upstart league has moved away from its OWGR quest. It doesn’t accurately reflect the current scenario in professional golf, said the LIV Golf CEO. 

On that, broadly everyone agrees. Brooks Koepka isn’t in the top 20. Joaquin Niemann is 78. Bryson DeChambeau ranks 182. Dustin Johnson, 266. Talor Gooch is 476. 

Now, where the differences arise is how to work around that. Norman’s wording becomes significant here. The Great White Shark looks forward “to seek meaningful communication and relationship with each of the majors to ensure that LIV golfers are fairly represented.” The world ranking points were significant solely because majors rely on them. Now Norman plans to directly lobby with the organizers.

However, what was missing from the memo was any hint of a direct channel of communication between the Tour and PIF. That brings us to Webb Simpson, another player director on the Tour Policy Board. 

A lull in positive discourse between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour?

Webb Simpson harbors no delusion of the Tour walking alone without PIF. The 38-year-old confessed he missed his buddies on the Tour, Bubba Watson and Charles Howell. But the seven-time PGA Tour winner also admitted that there has not been any official communication between the player directors and the PIF officials. 

Read More: Jay Monahan & Tiger Woods Ignoring Al-Rumayyan from PGAT Enterprises Paints a Bleak Merger Future

Notably, when Rory McIlroy met the PIF chief in December 2022, it was largely a private meeting. After the merger announcement, Jay Monahan was busy finding a third-party investor for a long time. Apparently, when the 53-year-old traveled to Saudi Arabia, that was their first face-to-face meeting since June 6. 

In fact, Keith Pelley, who earlier suggested that a deal might be reached as soon as April, sounded a little skeptical recently. In an interview with the Sunday Times, the outgoing DP World Tour CEO said, “Would I love to stay and see it through? Yes. But you can’t control timing.” It can take six months or two years, said the Canadian executive.

It’s a rather stark world we are staring at. Words are rather slippery at this moment. Even if it comes from the mouth of Rory McIlroy, will a merger change the situation? The PGA Tour Enterprises will bring LIV under its umbrella. But the schism within the PGAT players—LIV golfers—within the top pros and the rank-and-file will perhaps take more time and more open communications to fix.

Read More: Jay Monahan’s ‘Mishandling’ of LIV Golf Merger Left PGA Tour Insiders Shocked and Frustrated, Reveals Paul Azinger