Rory McIlroy has been a vocal critic of LIV Golf, but he now believes the competition has been beneficial for the PGA Tour
Rory McIlroy has recognised that LIV Golf has caused significant upheaval in the golfing world, suggesting it served as a “wake-up call” for the PGA Tour.
Despite being a committed PGA Tour member and initially criticising LIV Golf when it was founded and began enticing top professionals with lucrative contracts, McIlroy’s firm stance has softened in recent months.
The Northern Irish golfer now admits that the competition may have been beneficial for the future of the PGA Tour, reports the Express US.
While the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are still in discussions about a potential merger agreement, no breakthrough is expected until at least 2026, if ever. However, McIlroy believes that the PGA Tour started to think more strategically after being challenged and has even suggested a short-term solution.
In an interview on the ‘How Leaders Lead with David Novak’ podcast, McIlroy conceded that LIV Golf might not be as detrimental to the sport as he initially thought.
“They’ve definitely been a disruptor in the game of golf,” he said.
“Sometimes things need a shakeup and if anything, I think it was a bit of a wake-up call for the PGA Tour to maybe focus a little bit more on the future.”
McIlroy also suggested that the PGA Tour should learn from LIV Golf to attract younger fans. While the PGA Tour remains the most-watched golf platform, it’s believed that its audience is older than those who tune into LIV Golf.
“I think tapping into a different demographic,” McIlroy added. “You know, if you talk about being a golf purist and a traditionalist, and I think that’s why the PGA Tour appeals to that type of golf fan.
“Where LIV (Golf) appeals to a completely different demographic … the average age of a golfer in the United States is over 60 years old. So, how can you tap into this younger demographic where hopefully they’re gonna hopefully gonna watch golf for, you know, the remainder of their life? So, being a little more forward-thinking and having a little more vision. I think it is something that LIV (Golf) has done pretty well.”
McIlroy, who founded TGL alongside Tiger Woods and launched it this year, has also hinted that LIV players could feature on the groundbreaking golf platform. Whilst the TGL roster comprises exclusively PGA Tour professionals, McIlroy believes he could help forge a temporary bridge between the rival circuits.
“We have TGL, which is purely PGA Tour players,” McIlroy said. “But if there’s a way to expand team golf and try to make it this bigger entity… TGL can have some of the LIV guys come over and play with their teams.
“Then, maybe LIV, more on the back end of the year like post-summer, have some of the TGL teams start to play in some of the LIV-type tournaments. It’s a bridge. I don’t know if that would be the permanent solution.
“It seems like the team element is something very important for the LIV people, so if you can try and incorporate more of that team golf within the entire calendar year, that’s sort of a win for them. Also, if you can put everything back together a little bit… I think those tournaments (PGA Tour) would benefit from having those guys (LIV Golfers) there.
“It’s a long road, I don’t think we are going to see anything materialize until at least 2026. I know that people are putting their heads together and trying to figure this out. So, there’s hope.”
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