Over the past five years, Rory McIlroy has been involved with the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council. He spent two years as a member, one of which as the chairman who attended board meetings. Additionally, he is the first international player to serve on the board. However, he recently resigned on Tuesday. McIlroy was known for being the most vocal player about LIV Golf.
Rory McIlroy stepped down from the PGA Tour board on Tuesday. This sudden move happened while the tour is working on a deal with Saudi Arabia’s national wealth fund to establish a new business venture.
Rory McIlroy did not disclose his decision at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, but he made a comment that hinted at his three-year tenure on the board during challenging times.
Asked if he liked having a seat the table, McIlroy said, “Not particularly, no. Not what I signed for whenever I went on the board. But yeah, the game of professional golf has been in flux for the last two years.”
In a statement, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and board chairman Ed Herlihy expressed gratitude to McIlroy for his dedication and commitment over the past five years. They acknowledged his two-year tenure on the Player Advisory Council, including one year as the PAC chairman who participated in board meetings. They also recognized his contribution as the first international player to serve on the board for the last two years.
“Rory’s insight has been instrumental in helping shape the success of the tour, and his willingness to thoughtfully voice his opinions has been especially impactful,” they said.
“Given the extraordinary time and effort that Rory – and all of his fellow player directors – have invested in the tour during this unprecedented, transformational period in our history, we certainly understand and respect his decision to step down in order to focus on his game and his family.”
Monahan informed the players in a memo that the PGA Tour is progressing towards reaching an agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Additionally, they are in the process of narrowing down the bids from a few private equity firms interested in investing in PGA Tour Enterprises.
The tour’s deal with the Saudis, which was announced on June 6, must be finalized by the end of the year. However, the deadline can be extended.
No player has been more vocal than McIlroy about the PIF’s financial support for LIV Golf, a rival league that enticed several major champions with lucrative signing bonuses. LIV Golf has just finished its second year, and it’s still uncertain how the PIF’s agreement with the tour will impact it.
McIlroy constantly criticized Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, and criticized some of the younger players who joined LIV for “taking the easy way out.”
But he didn’t know about Monahan’s secret talks with the PIF in May, along with other important people. The day after the surprising announcement, McIlroy said, “It’s difficult for me not to feel like I’m being sacrificed and that this is what I get for putting myself out there.”
He also mentioned that he had accepted the Saudi involvement in other sports. He believed that the tour would be beneficial if it is done correctly. He expressed his desire for the PIF to be part of the tour deal and for golf to be united again.
He also mentioned that he had accepted the Saudi involvement in other sports. He believed that the tour would be beneficial if it is done correctly. He expressed his desire for the PIF to be part of the tour deal and for golf to be united again.
Players serving on the board do not get paid. McIlroy joined the PAC in 2019 and 2020, with the latter being during the COVID-19 pandemic and the tour figuring out how to resume playing.
Through it all was a threat of a new league funded by Saudi Arabian wealth. Even before LIV Golf was created, McIlroy was the first to say he was not interested in a new league, saying he wanted to be “on the right side of history.”
There was a threat of a new league funded by wealth from Saudi Arabia. McIlroy, even before LIV Golf was created, stated that he was not interested in joining the new league. He expressed his desire to be “on the right side of history.”
Rory McIlroy is also involved in TMRW Sports with Tiger Woods. They are part of an entertainment and media venture that is behind a new tech-infused golf league called TGL. The TGL golf league is scheduled to start in January.
He has already won his fifth season title on the DP World Tour and believes he is playing his best golf, even though it has been ten years since he last won a major.
The five remaining player-directors will choose a new person to serve the rest of McIlroy’s term, which will end next year.
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