Is the plea for unity made by Rory McIlroy creating more conflict than peace? The four-time Major champion has been one of the harshest critics of LIV Golf over the years. Look at these comments.

• “I hate what it’s doing to the game of golf. I hate it. I really do. It’s going to be hard for me to stomach going to Wentworth in a couple of weeks’ time and seeing 18 of them there. That just doesn’t sit right with me”– In 2022, after winning the tour championship.
• “I don’t want to kick someone while he’s down obviously, but I thought they were naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant”– in 2022, in response to Phil Mickelson saying LIV is “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA tour operates.”
• “I don’t know. I have no idea. I wouldn’t say I’ve got much of a relationship with them at the minute. But if you’re just talking about Ryder Cup, that’s not the future of the Ryder Cup team”– in 2023, about a few of his European Ryder Cup teammates after they joined LIV Golf.
• “I haven’t done anything different. They are the ones that have made that decision. I can sit here and keep my head held high and say I haven’t done anything differently”– in 2023, in response to LIV Golf players not being included in the Ryder Cup.

However, quite surprisingly, he seems to have softened his stance on LIV Golf. In recent weeks, he has explicitly spoken in favor of letting golfers who fled the PGA Tour back on without punishment as the rival leagues seemingly move closer to a union. “Whether you stayed on the PGA Tour or you left, we have all benefited from this,” McIlroy told reporters ahead of the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines. “I’ve been on the record saying this a lot: We’re playing for a $20 million prize fund this week. That would have never happened if LIV hadn’t come around. I think everyone’s just got to get over it, and we all have to say, ‘OK, this is the starting point,’ and we move forward.”

Well, LIV Golf has indeed shaken things up, and the division is quite prominent. Some experts argue that LIV Golf’s focus on entertainment and technology may come at the expense of the sport’s traditions and values. Whereas others embrace it saying, LIV is good for the long-term success of golf, challenging outdated technology and league play. While there are definite pros and cons both sides can present, McIlroy’s changed stance did not sit well with Golf Channel analyst and former PGA Tour player Johnson Wagner. Last week he came down heavily on McIlroy.

“The fact that he’s saying we’ve all benefitted, he’s just seeing things from such a finite perspective — from his perspective. He’s not seeing who hasn’t benefited since all this has gone on — the sponsors who pay all the bills for the PGA Tour events…Also, he’s telling everyone to get over it. Rory has said a lot of things over the past couple of seasons that have rubbed a lot of players the wrong way. Now, he wants everyone to get over it, he’s pushing for a small world tour. He’s trying to get his way in every way. I’m a huge fan of Rory, but he’s angering me right now,” Wagner had said. Now, in one more conversation, he defended his previous comments.

Wagner sat for an open discussion on the 5 Clubs YouTube channel, which was hosted by Gary Williams and included Brendon de Jonge. Wagner was asked to review his earlier critiques and how he felt in the aftermath of that. He said, “It was guilt-ridden. I would say a little bit, but I got a lot of positive responses from some players, some tournament directors, and some sponsors of events that appreciated my comments. I think the root of what I said, and I don’t regret saying anything, the root of what I said was passionate about what I believed.”

Wagner explained his viewpoint, saying, “I feel like Rory has been sounding off in the media a lot lately, and it’s not that I disagree with what he’s trying to say. I think reunifying the game is… we’re unfortunately at that point, but the fact that he wanted everybody just to get over it feels a little bit you know ton deaf” Wagner broke down the fallout from the LIV Golf situation, saying the PGA Tour’s cutting 20% of its cards, the Korn Ferry Tour is losing 10 spots, but the DP World Tour’s staying the same. He said it’s not that easy for lower-ranked PGA players to “just get over it.”

Wagner expressed some remorse for the emotional tone of his opening remarks, but he remained steadfast in the main points of his argument. “Going forward, I’m going to try to speak the same way, but maybe take a little bit of emotion out of it,” he remarked. “I think the one mistake I made was that I said he’s angering me. I regret saying that, and other than that, I stand by what I said,” he continued, reflecting on his word choice. While the debate goes on on one hand, on the other, significant things are happening in the PGA tour-LIV Golf merger.

Is Rory McIlroy’s changed stance a response to merge talk developments?

McIlroy’s comments come amid PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan saying this week that he had a productive meeting with President Trump that he thinks has brought the PGA and Saudi Arabia’s PIF, which funds LIV Golf, closer than ever to a deal. “What it means is the reunification of the game, which is what we have been and are focused on,” Monahan said. “Candidly, that’s what fans want. So when you talk about reunification, that’s all the best players in the world competing with each other and against each other.” Meanwhile, Tiger Woods also had to offer positive news about it.

Woods expects talks between the PGA Tour and Donald Trump to mend the rift in men’s professional golf “very soon this year”. “I think we’re in a very positive place right now. We had a meeting with the President. Unfortunately, I had some other circumstances that came up, but Jay and Adam, they did great during the meeting and we have another subsequent meeting coming up,” said Woods. “I think that things are going to heal quickly. We’re going to get this game going in the right direction. It’s been heading in the wrong direction for a number of years. The fans want all the top players playing together and we’re going to make that happen.”

The PGA Tour does not permit its members to play in LIV Golf events, while LIV players have been denied world ranking points, Ryder Cup selection, and qualifying spots for majors. Majors have begun to ease restrictions but they remain the only competitive events at which the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy of the PGA Tour can go up against LIV Golf’s stars such as Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm.

Asked on CBS during coverage of the final round of the Genesis Invitational whether he anticipated a resolution this year or even “very soon this year”, 15-time major winner Woods replied: “Yes and yes.” Will this take golf in the right direction? Share your thoughts below.