Rory McIlroy’s Plans Worsen Struggling LIV Golfers’ Mentality as Future Holds Blank Hopes for PIF Warriors

It was a forgettable Masters for the Northern Irishman. Unfortunately, after four days of play at the iconic Augusta National, Rory McIlroy could only finish T22 tied with seven other professionals. But, despite the subpar finish, he seems to have picked himself up and appears ready to move on, while proving to be a hindrance of sorts to the LIV Golf pros.

A hindrance? Well, the 34-year-old is currently placed safely at No. 2 on the OWGR despite a not-so-impressive run in the men’s circuit, except for his Valero Texas Open finish, where he secured the third position. Meanwhile, McIlroy, in his recent interview post-final round at Augusta, divulged a tightly packed schedule post on the major, all the while aiming to rake in points on the world rankings, unlike his counterparts on LIV Golf.

Rory McIlroy shares his post-Masters schedule

When posed with the query of whether he will scale back on his golfing a bit, McIlroy was quick to deny it as he revealed his schedule for the foreseeable future. Divulging the same, he said, “No, the next two weeks I’m playing Hilton Head, I’m playing New Orleans,” while alluding to the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links and the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana.

“I’ll take a week off, playing Quail Hollow,” said the professional while referring to the Wells Fargo Championship before adding how he would “play the PGA [Championship], take another week off, then play another four in a row.” What’s more, the Northern Irishman made sure to express his love for the game while at it as well; “Loving golf at the moment. Loving it.”

However, such a jam-packed schedule inevitably means bad for the already struggling LIV golfers on the OWGR, especially the likes of current No. 3 Jon Rahm, among others. Accordingly, the rift between him and the players from the breakaway league would only stand to widen, with the latter group being further pushed down the board. Interestingly, this has been, more or less, the case even before the world rankings denied points to the PIF-funded circuit and Greg Norman withdrew his application for OWGR eligibility. This, in addition, will indubitably broaden the gap.

Well, any one of the fans would be excited to watch McIlroy get back up on his feet to play the game he so dearly likes. Moreover, will be all the more excited to watch him pair up with his close friend, Shane Lowry, at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the second event on his future schedule.

McIlroy-Lowry team-up at Zurich Classic

Rory McIlroy was visibly exhilarated to pair up with Lowry at the upcoming event on April 25. “Very excited,” exclaimed the 34-year-old when he was asked about the same by Claire Rogers. What’s more, revealing the story behind the team-up, he added, “You know, it was actually, we had this, like, really drunken lunch after the Ryder Cup last year, the week after and I said to him, ‘You want to play Zurich together?, so we’re like ‘Yeah’.”

Fascinatingly, the 2024 edition of the event in TPC Louisiana, Avondale, would be the first time McIlroy would be participating in the tournament, as he expressed, “I’ve never played before so, that’ll be good.” However, Lowry, on the other hand, has been a familiar face at the competition, with his former partner Padraig Harrington who is currently a part of the Champions Tour. Anyhow, the 4-time major champ’s fans would surely be hoping for him to have a wonderful debut at the event, as they hope to see the pro jump back on his feet after the recent major disappointment.