Rory McIlroy ensures PGA Tour fans he will not be joining the LIV Golf League, but he makes a slow start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Rory McIlroy has confirmed in an interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith that he will not be joining the LIV Golf League despite recent speculation linking him with a shock move away from the PGA Tour.
During a recent interview with Bunkered, Chubby Chandler, who was previously Rory McIlroy’s manager, raised the possibility of the four-time major champion changing teams.
Chandler recently mentioned to GolfMagic that he believes McIlroy’s views on LIV Golf have undergone a remarkable transformation in 2024. “Associated: Professional golfer from the LIV Golf league raises significant concerns about the agreement between the PGA Tour and PIF.” In late 2023, LIV Golf signed Jon Rahm followed by recruiting two other European players, Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk.
Rahm allegedly inked a deal worth $600 million, while Hatton joined for approximately $60 million and Meronk for a significantly lower amount.
The agreement with Rahm was finalized shortly after McIlroy’s decision to resign as a player director on the PGA Tour board, where he had been serving for several years.
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Having once said LIV Golf was ‘dead in the water’ and that PGA Tour members should face the consequences for joining the Saudi-backed circuit in 2022, McIlroy recently told the media he would welcome back some of the world’s biggest players on LIV Golf with open arms. “Let them come back,” he said.
But despite McIlroy softening his stance on LIV Golf and removing his seat from the PGA Tour table, the World No.2 has assured PGA Tour fans he will not be going anywhere.
Tradition and history of the PGA Tour means everything to McIlroy, he said in his interview with Smith, which you can watch below.
McIlroy does, however, hope the world’s best players can all come together again at some point down the line.
That will happen – albeit briefly and without Talor Gooch – in the first major of the season at The Masters* from 11-14 April.
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McIlroy told ESPN’s Marty Smith:
“It’s not for me. I’m too much of a traditionalist. I love winning golf tournaments and looking at the trophy and seeing that Sam Snead won this trophy or Ben Hogan or Gene Sarazen or Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo, whoever it is, the people that came before me, that to me is a big deal in our game.
“If we were to all put our heads together and be like ‘okay, what can we do to all come back together and move forward and be a little more cohesive’, I would sort of be all for that.”
McIlroy confronted the rumors about LIV Golf directly with Smith just a day before his unimpressive start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the renowned Bay Hill.”
The golfer from Northern Ireland scored a 1-over 73 in a round with three birdies and four bogeys, two of which were on par-5 holes.
McIlroy hit his second shot into the water on the par-5 6th hole, a hole that John Daly famously scored an 18 on.
His first bogey of the day occurred after he had earlier made a birdie on the par-3 2nd hole from 18 feet, bringing him back to even par. McIlroy failed to make a four-foot putt for par on the seventh hole and a five-foot putt for par on the ninth hole, ultimately recording a 2-over par score going out.
At the 11th hole, he executed his shot well and earned a birdie with a short putt, but unfortunately, he gave back the advantage at the next hole by hitting the ball too far into the rough with his bunker shot near the green.
McIlroy went on to score a birdie with two putts on the par-5 16th hole, resulting in a total score of 73 for the round. McIlroy is currently in the T49 position, requiring significant effort to climb back into contention for his first PGA Tour title of 2024 and a possible second victory at Bay Hill, where he previously won in 2018.
Shane Lowry from Ireland maintained his recent strong performance by securing the lead after the first round with an impressive score of 6-under 66. Lowry was no longer in the running for first place in the final group at the Honda Classic on Monday.
He is currently ahead by one shot compared to Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Lower, recent winner of the Genesis Invitational.
Scottie Scheffler, the top-ranked player in the world, recently made a change to using a mallet putter after not using one for some time.
Despite this change, he struggled on the greens, losing shots to the competition with a Putting Stroke Gained rank of 59th.
“Scheffler is currently tied for 20th place at 2-under par, keeping him in contention for a second Arnold Palmer Invitational title in three years.”