Rory McIlroy’s 2024 season on the PGA Tour has ended, but not quite how he expected. On the course, the Northern Irishman claimed victory only twice. Of these, one was a team victory with Shane Lowry, meaning that McIlroy won just one individual title, and it was not a major. Off the course, the four-time major champion had different responsibilities, including serving as an active member of the PGA Tour Enterprises’ Transaction Committee. However, he might be stepping down from those duties as well.

After finishing the TOUR Championship at T9, Ulsterman was asked at a press conference if he had any remaining duties on the Transaction Committee. McIlroy promptly replied, “Not that I’ve heard of. Yeah, no.” However, he further mentioned that he had received an email about a meeting down next week but there were no Tour duties that he needed to tend to.

Another question was directed at McIlroy, asking if the players on the Transaction Committee had not been involved in many meetings. The 35-year-old confirmed they had not been as involved, before explaining the reason behind it. He said, “The lawyers have been talking a lot, and I think just the complexity of this deal [PGA Tour-PIF merger] from a legal standpoint is something that — obviously we have nothing to add in that regard, so there’s no point in us being on those calls.” 

So, instead of attending PGA Tour meetings, McIlroy will have a “quiet” off-season, traveling to Europe for five starts on the DP World Tour. Notably, McIlroy has not been involved in many legal meetings, but the Northern Irishman was still frustrated by the progress—or lack thereof—that the PGA Tour has made. Many in the golf world speculated that he was indirectly criticizing Tiger Woods.

Have Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods drifted apart?

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have been close friends and business partners off the course, including their major venture, TGL. However, when it comes to the PGA Tour and PIF merger, the two may have different opinions. McIlroy advocates for unity in men’s golf, whereas Woods did not believe that the PGA Tour needed to merge with PIF.

As the merger stands, or rather doesn’t, given that it has not progressed, McIlroy has expressed his disappointment. In a recent interview with Golf.com, the 26-time PGA Tour winner mentioned that there has not been as much progress as he had anticipated, and the PIF-PGA Tour merger has become a burdensome topic. He also said, “I wish more would have been done, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of willingness from some people to try to fix it.”

By “some people,” McIlroy could have meant anyone but the golf world speculated that he was referring to his dear friend, Woods, though he did not explicitly name him. The speculation arose because McIlroy and Woods have different stances on the merger with PIF, and with Woods being the vice-chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises, a player director on the advisory board, and a member of the Transaction Committee, he was believed to be the one delaying progress.

However, as McIlroy noted, legal complexities could be the reason for the delay. Nonetheless, the PGA Tour and PIF will likely continue discussions in the off-season, while Rory McIlroy gears up for a better season finale on the DP World Tour.