Rory McIlroy has resigned from his time-sapping and influential position on the PGA Tour’s policy board just hours after citing his frustrations with the role.
The development was revealed in a memo sent to players by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan on Tuesday and follows two years of chaos and upheaval in the professional game.
McIlroy has been a key figure behind the scenes and publicly as the Tour mobilised to combat the threat of the LIV circuit. At times, he has indicated that those efforts have come at the cost of his own game, with his wait for a fifth major title due to head into a 10th year in 2024.
In answer to a question from Mail Sport about those commitments at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Tuesday, McIlroy had said ‘(it’s) not what I signed for whenever I went on the board’, but offered no hint that he had resolved to drop those responsibilities.
However, Monahan has confirmed that the 34-year-old has left his position. His memo said: “Rory’s resignation letter makes clear that the difficult decision was made due to professional and personal commitments.
‘I hope you will join me in thanking Rory for his dedication and commitment to the Tournament – first as a member of the game’s advisory panel for three years (2019-21) , including as PAC chair in 2021, and the past two years as director of political council members. During his tenure, Rory’s insight was instrumental in the success of the Tour and his willingness to express his opinions in a thoughtful way was especially notable.
“With the extraordinary time and effort that Rory – and all of his fellow player directors – have invested in the Tour during a period of unprecedented transition in our history, we certainly understand and respect his decision to step down to focus on his game and his family.
McIlroy described himself as a “sacrificial lamb” in June after the shock announcement of Tour that it is in merger talks with backers of LIV, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. McIlroy has been LIV’s most vocal critic and played a key role in the PGA Tour’s response, including the creation of “premium events” with huge prize pools for limited areas – a development that sparked critical reviews from senior members of the Tour.
During a press conference on Tuesday, McIlroy said progress was being made on golf’s controversial merger despite the appearance of a crowded scene. Few expect the parties to ratify the deal before the original December 31 deadline, given U.S. Senate concerns about the antitrust aspects of the merger, as well as parallel efforts by The PGA Tour aims to attract US-based investment to limit their operations.
dependence on Saudi Arabia. These dilemmas raise obvious questions about where LIV might fit into the new regime.
“I think if you’re in the midst of all of this, you’ll see that there’s a path forward,” McIlroy said. “It’s just that no one outside knows any details.” Loose lips will sink the ship, so we try to keep it tight and inside the wall.
“Doing something as soon as possible is a good thing.