Rory McIlroy has one regret about his role in PGA Tour-LIV Golf drama

Golf

By Erich Richter

Rory McIlroy now says he has at least one regret in the ongoing PGA Tour-LIV Golf drama.

McIlroy, who had staunchly defended the PGA over the past few years after LIV’s separation, said he wishes he had handled things differently.

“I think, in hindsight, I wish I hadn’t have gotten involved or not hadn’t gotten involved, hadn’t have gotten as deeply involved in it, and I’ve articulated that,” McIlroy said before the RBC Canadian Open, according to Golf Monthly, struggling to find the right words to describe his involvement in the issues between the leagues.

“But in hindsight, I wish I hadn’t have gotten as deeply involved as I have,” McIlroy admitted.

This stance was teased by his former agent Andrew “Chubby” Chandler in February when he mentioned that Mcllroy could consider a LIV Golf offer.

“Rory is of the ilk that he’ll say something because he likes to have an opinion, but he’s quite happy to apologize for it, and that’s what he’s done,” Chandler said then, according to Bunkered. “If you were being cynical, you might say he’s going to sign for about £750 million [around $950 million] in a month’s time with LIV because he’s paving the way that LIV’s okay now, whereas it wasn’t.”

McIlroy also added this week that he was disappointed by what the divide has done to the professional golf ranks, which has seen some of the game’s best players depart the PGA for LIV.

“My whole thing is I’m just disappointed to what it’s done to, not to the game of golf, the game of golf will be fine, but men’s professional golf and this sort of divide we have at the minute,” he said.

Mcllroy vehemently defended the PGA Tour during the 2021 separation before it agreed to a framework to merge with LIV last summer.

While many of his fellow golfers got rich taking the Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) money, Mcllroy stayed with the Tour while his play declined.

In January, though, McIlroy expressed some leniency and said he would be OK letting the LIV players come back to the PGA if they wanted to.

At the PGA Championship earlier this month, McIlory addressed the departure of Jimmy Dunne from the PGA Tour’s policy board, admitting it could be a big blow for the ongoing merger talks.

“Honestly, I think it’s a huge loss for the PGA Tour, if they are trying to get this deal done with the PIF [the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which runs LIV] and trying to unify the game,’’ McIlroy said, according to The Post’s Mark Cannizzaro. “Jimmy was basically the relationship, the sort of conduit between the PGA Tour and PIF.

“It’s been really unfortunate that he has not been involved for the last few months, and I think part of the reason that everything is stalling at the minute is because of that. So it is, it’s really, really disappointing. I think the Tour is in a worse place because of it.

“I would say my confidence level on something getting done before last week was as low as it had been, and then with this news of Jimmy resigning and knowing the relationship he has with the other side, and how much warmth there is from the other side, it’s concerning.’’

It’s been an eventful month for the No. 3 ranked golfer, who served his wife, Erica Stoll, divorce papers, stating that the marriage was “irretrievably broken.”

The papers did state that the two had signed a prenuptial agreement.