McIlroy sees the PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger as distant: “Irrational” the spending

Rory McIlroy: The Fracture in Golf Persists

The renowned golfer Rory McIlroy has expressed his doubts about the possibility of a quick reconciliation in the world of golf, following the division generated by the LIV league. According to McIlroy, LIV’s “irrational” spending has deepened the gap in the sport. Hope for a union arose after the merger proposal, but more than two and a half years after that announcement, the parties seem to be distanced.

“You see other sports that have been fractured for a long time,” McIlroy said at CNBC’s CEO Council Forum. “For example, boxing, or what has happened in motor racing in the United States with Indy and NASCAR and everything else, I think for golf in general it would be better if there was a unification.”

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy, a defender of the traditional structure of men’s professional golf, acknowledges that the situation is complex.

“We have to realize that we were dealing with people who were acting, in a way, irrationally, just in terms of the capital they were allocating and the money they were spending.”

Rory McIlroy

The golfer points out that, after several years, results have still not been seen, and that LIV will have to continue investing large sums to maintain its position.

“Many of these guys’ contracts are expiring. They’re going to ask for the same amount or an even greater amount. LIV has spent five or six billion U.S. dollars, and they’re going to have to spend another five or six just to maintain their current position.”

Rory McIlroy

Bryson DeChambeau, LIV golfer, agrees that the parties are distanced.

“I wish something important would happen, but I don’t think it’s going to happen in the immediate future,” he told Fox News. “I think there’s too much wishful thinking on both sides and not enough concessions from the other. We are too far apart on many things. It will take some time, but ultimately, I do believe golf will grow internationally.”

Bryson DeChambeau