Rory McIlroy says he’d retire if LIV Golf was the one place to play

Sports activities

“LIV is proposing that Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods would personal groups and play in a minimum of 10 LIV occasions.”

By DOUG FERGUSON, Related Press

July 14, 2023 | 8:45 AM

GULLANE, Scotland (AP) — Rory McIlroy laughed off a Saudi-backed concept that he and Tiger Woods personal LIV Golf groups, saying Thursday he would retire if taking part in for LIV was the one possibility.

The idea got here from an April doc titled, “The Better of Each Worlds,” supplied to Congress forward of a Senate subcommittee listening to Tuesday on the PGA Tour’s settlement to companion with the Public Funding Fund of Saudi Arabia.

“LIV is proposing that Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods would personal groups and play in a minimum of 10 LIV occasions. This and the participation of different main gamers is topic to additional discussions,” one merchandise within the proposal stated.

That was delivered to McIlroy’s consideration after his opening spherical of the Scottish Open, and he appeared bemused.

“If LIV Golf was the final place to play golf on earth, I’d retire. That’s how I really feel about it,” McIlroy stated. “I’d play the majors. I’d be fairly comfy.”

That was a part of a number of pie-in-the-sky proposals within the eight-page presentation geared towards discovering a compromise between the golf circuits. It was produced by Amanda Staveley of British-based PCP Capital Companions. She helped dealer the Public Funding Fund buying Newcastle United of the English Premier League and is advising the Saudis in golf.

Different proposals included LIV gamers with the ability to have PGA Tour taking part in rights restored, world rating factors from LIV occasions utilized retroactively and for Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF, to have an Augusta Nationwide membership.

McIlroy has left little doubt how he feels concerning the rival league, even earlier than LIV Golf was shaped. He was the primary prime participant to declare loyalty to the PGA Tour in early 2020. A month in the past, after the shock announcement concerning the deal, McIlroy stated, “I nonetheless hate LIV. Like, I hate LIV. Like, I hope it goes away.”

McIlroy stated he watched solely a bit of the Senate listening to as a result of there wasn’t a lot info he didn’t already know.

“There was going to be some new info for different folks,” he stated. “As I stated, I’ve nearly been too shut the final yr and a bit. So good to have the ability to attempt to distance myself a bit.”

McIlroy had stated he discovered of the settlement from Jimmy Dunne, a PGA Tour board member concerned within the negotiations, about 4 hours earlier than the June 6 announcement.

One e-mail within the trove of paperwork launched Tuesday indicated McIlroy had met in November with Al-Rumayyan in Dubai for a dialog described as “cordial and constructive.”

He didn’t point out how a lot he knew concerning the tour speaking with the Saudi group. One grievance from PGA Tour gamers was being left in the dead of night, significantly as a result of the tour is a member group. McIlroy is amongst 5 gamers on the PGA Tour board. None was concerned, together with three unbiased board administrators.

Xander Schauffele stated on Wednesday that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan had misplaced a few of his belief, whereas Jordan Spieth stated Monahan had “fairly a bit” of belief points to navigate when he returns to work subsequent week.

McIlroy stated belief points with Monahan weren’t as severe for him.

“As a result of I type of knew what was happening, so I wasn’t fairly as in the dead of night as among the different guys,” McIlroy stated. “However yeah, folks felt blindsided by it, and I can clearly perceive why Jordan and Xander and loads of different guys would really feel that manner.”