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Scottie Scheffler becomes first golfer to win back-to-back Players Championships

For the first time in its 50 years of competition, The Players Championship crowned a repeat champion, and his name is Scottie Scheffler.

Fighting through neck pain and challenging the PGA Tour's best amid the pitfalls of the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, Scheffler triumphed in a gripping four-way battle ahead of Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman in Sunday's final round.

Clark nearly forced a playoff with his birdie putt on 18, but his putt lipped out.

Scheffler erased a five-stroke deficit with a final-round 64 and topped the field at 20 under for the tournament, becoming the first-ever back-to-back winner of the Gold Man Trophy on the golden anniversary of The Players. Clark, Harman and Schauffele each came in at 19 under.

The 27-year-old Dallas resident becomes the seventh man to win the Players multiple times, joining Jack Nicklaus, Hal Sutton, Davis Love III, Fred Couples, Steve Elkington and Tiger Woods.

Scheffler, who received treatment Friday and Saturday for neck pain that hampered his backswing and his ability to shape shots, began with an eagle on No. 4. From there, he added birdies on Nos. 5, 8, 9, 11, 12 and finally No. 16 to move into sole possession of the lead, closing with a par on the treacherous 18th.

The winning score was the lowest at The Players since Greg Norman won at 24 under in the 1994 Players. Scheffler's final-round 64 tied for the lowest for a Players champion, joining Couples in 1996 and Love in 2003.

Harman, needing a birdie at 18 to force a playoff, escaped pine straw to find the green in two but couldn't sink the birdie attempt from 17 feet, 4 inches.

Morning leader Schauffele had a chance to tie Scheffler at the Island Green but pulled a birdie putt left from 6 feet, 8 inches. He then missed right with his tee shot on 18 into the pine straw, leading to an approach that left him over 60 feet from the hole. His birdie putt rolled just wide right of the cup.

Clark, who had made birdies at 16 and 17 to close the gap, hit his approach on 18 to almost the same spot as Harman, 17 feet and 4 inches from the cup. His putt rolled around the rim and bounced out just when it appeared set to drop.

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THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass

Book a stay & play golf vacation to TPC Sawgrass, Home of THE PLAYERS Championship

Since its start in 1974, with Jack Nicklaus’ historic victory over J.C. Snead at Atlanta Country Club, THE PLAYERS Championship has been one of the PGA TOUR ‘s most coveted titles. Held annually in March, THE PLAYERS is one of the most anticipated tournaments on the PGA TOUR calendar, boasting not only the strongest field but also the biggest purse on the PGA TOUR. THE PLAYERS Championship 2021 will be held March 11 – 14, 2021.

THE PLAYERS Stadium Course  at TPC Sawgrass is a golf course built with both the pros and the fans in mind. The course, owned by the PGA TOUR, first hosted THE PLAYERS in 1982 and is now the permanent home of the annual event. A true “Stadium Course,” the championship-caliber golf course was designed to improve the overall on-site fan experience at THE PLAYERS, while also making it accessible to and playable by golf fans of all abilities.

Working with renowned golf course architect Pete Dye, then-PGA TOUR Commissioner Deane Beman created a course design that favored no particular player or style of play. The result has been a golf course that has tested the best on the PGA TOUR and set the stage for some of the TOUR’s most dramatic finishes. From Jerry Pate’s tossing Pete Dye into the lake on the 18 th hole, to Tiger Woods’ “Better Than Most” putt heard around the world in 2001, THE PLAYERS Championship never disappoints.

2021 PLAYERS Championship Recap:

– THE PLAYERS 2021 Justin Thomas Highlights

– The best all-time shots on every hole at THE PLAYERS

– PLAYERS Championship Memorable Moments

– Travel to THE PLAYERS Championship

Zurich Classic of New Orleans

TPC Louisiana

GOLFTV Newsletter

A brief history of The PLAYERS Championship trophies

Gregory Shamus

The PLAYERS Championship has evolved considerably since its inception in 1974. What’s changed? Namely, the purse ($15 million in 2021) and Every Shot Live (plug: GOLF.TV, start streaming on Thursday in select markets). Even the hardware they award the champion has undergone a few facelifts.

In its nearly 50 years of existence, the PGA TOUR has handed out four iterations of The PLAYERS Championship trophy. The most recent edition (that only 2019 champion Rory McIlroy has been lucky enough to call his own) is stunning. The 7.6-pound trophy is made out of sterling silver and 24k gold vermeil. For how opulent it is, the champ is probably taking home a few extra bucks in value on his way out of Ponte Vedra. It’s an appropriate party favour to one of the game’s most cherished events.

Jack Nicklaus 1974 Atlanta Golf Classic - The Players Championship PGA TOUR Archive

PGA TOUR Archive

From 1974 to 1981, champions received a, shall we say, understated trophy. The wood and bronze plaque was known as Joseph C. Dey Jr. trophy (we owe a lot to Dey, who was instrumental in uniting the USGA and R&A in an effort to standardize the rules of golf). Nicklaus claimed three of these plaques – the third of which came in 1978 after the tournament had made its way to the Sawgrass Country Club.

In 1982, the Tournament Players Championship crossed the street from Sawgrass CC and found its lasting home at TPC Sawgrass, just two years after Pete Dye had built his masterpiece in the middle of a Florida swamp. The move came with an upgrade to the winning prize. In an attempt to match the TOUR’s flagship tournament to an equally as impressive trophy, the tournament revealed a large black slab of granite that features a golden golfer and silver trees. Deane Beman, the former PGA TOUR commissioner who sits in the photo below, agreed with his constituents that the prize was impractical for use in a trophy ceremony, so they came up with an alternative (though the original granite trophy remains in the front hall of the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse).

The crystal was an iconic prize from when Jerry Pate first raised it in 1982 through when Webb Simpson cradled it in 2018, even surviving the tournament’s name change from Tournament Players Championship to The PLAYERS Championship in 1988. Designers at Waterford Crystal would take up to 40 hours to engrave the intricate detail of the golf scene on the front of the crystal. In 2007, the bottom of the vase was altered to allow space for the winner’s name.

While elegant, the vase lacked the emphatic exclamation point the TOUR desired for its flagship event. In 2019, Rory McIlroy ushered in the next generation of golden champions by raising a trophy befitting such a prestigious tournament.

In addition to its impressive gold finish, the newest version of The PLAYERS trophy is also somewhat of a craftsmanship feat. When the design was released, Andy Hart, the vice-president of diamond and jewelry supply at Tiffany & Co., stated that a “Tiffany designer worked with the PGA TOUR to replicate a golfer with the perfect swing.” To bring that golfer to life, they used 3D printing technology and even made the face of the golfer a composite of each of the tournament’s winners until 2018.

Icon Sportswire

The version of the trophy above is the perpetual trophy with each winner’s name engraved on the base, which sits in the clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass. In addition to this golden prize, Tiffany & Co. has also designed the FedEx Cup, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Charles Schwab Cup Championship and Northern Trust trophies. But as Jared Rice, the executive director of the PLAYERS, points out, the PLAYERS is unique: “I love that the trophy is gold, and there is no other championship of significance that gives gold.”

To learn more about how the trophy is made, watch the video below.

More from Golf Digest

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1974: Jack Nicklaus

THE PLAYERS was launched fittingly: The best player won the TOUR’s best tournament against the strongest field.

Nicklaus 1974

1984: Fred Couples

Against a backdrop of prestige and deep talent, Couples established scoring records with his second-round 64 and 277 total.

Couples 1984

1999: David Duval

Nursing a one-stroke lead in punishing conditions, Duval stuffed his tee shot at the island-green 17th, made birdie, and at 3-under 285 he held off Scott Gump by one.

2004: Adam Scott

A wedge to 10 feet on the final hole set up his putt for 70 and 12-under 276, good for a one-stroke win. The youngest winner of THE PLAYERS.

Before Dye’s Big Plan There Was Dey’s Big Plan

PGA TOUR Commissioner Joe Dey always liked telling stories, and the former sportswriter turned golf administrator felt something in professional golf was missing. He thought there was a story his TOUR needed to tell.

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THE PLAYERS Championship

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The full list of all of rory mcilroy's 25 pga tour victories, share this article.

When Rory McIlroy teamed up with Shane Lowry to win the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, it marked his 25th victory on the PGA Tour.

It was McIlroy’s first win in 2024 and first since the 2023 Scottish Open in 2023. It was also his first team win in his first visit to the Big Easy.

With 25 wins, McIlroy joins Johnny Miller, Tommy Armour and Macdonald Smith on the all-time wins list. He’s one of 26 golfers in history with at least 25 victories on the PGA Tour.

Next in his sights: Henry Picard with 26; Leo Diegel and Paul Runyan with 28; Gene Littler, Lee Trevino and Harry Cooper at 29; and Horton Smith with 30.

Rory McIlroy PGA Tour victories

2023 Genesis Scottish Open

2022 The CJ Cup in South Carolina

2022 Touyr Championship

2022 RBC Canadian Open

2021 The CJ Cup at the Summit

2021 Wells Fargo Championship

2019 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions

2019 Tour Championship

2019 RBC Canadian Open

2019 The Players Championship

2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational

2016 Deutsche Bank Championship

2016 Tour Championship

2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play

2015 Wells Fargo Championship

2014 The Open Championship

2014 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational

2014 PGA Championship

2012 Honda Classic

2012 PGA Championship

2012 Deutsche Bank Championship

2012 BMW Championship

2011 U.S. Open

2010 Quail Hollow Championship

McIlroy also has 10 international victories.

International victories

2024 Hero Dubai Desert Classic

2023 Hero Dubai Desert Classic

2016 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open

2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic

2015 DP World Tour Championship

2014 BMW PGA Championship

2013 Emirates Australian Open

2012 DP World Tour Championship

2011 Shanghai Masters

2011 UBS Hong Kong Open

2009 Dubai Desert Classic

Source: pgatour.com

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PGA Tour players learn how much loyalty is worth in new equity program

Tiger Woods waves after his final round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, waves after making a putt on the sixth hole during the second round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament, Friday, April 19, 2024, in Hilton Head Island, S.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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Players who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour amid lucrative recruitment by Saudi-funded LIV Golf are starting to find out how much that loyalty could be worth.

The PGA Tour on Wednesday began contacting the 193 players eligible for the $930 million from a “Player Equity Program” under the new PGA Tour Enterprises .

The bulk of that money — $750 million — went to 36 players based on their career performance, the last five years and how they fared in a recent program that measured their star power.

How much they received was not immediately known. Emails were going out Wednesday afternoon and Thursday informing players of what they would get. One person who saw a list of how the equity shares were doled out said the names had been redacted. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because many details of the program were not made public.

The Telegraph reported Tiger Woods was to receive $100 million in equity and Rory McIlroy could get $50 million, without saying how it came up with those numbers.

Commissioner Jay Monahan outlined the first-of-its-kind equity ownership program in a Feb. 7 memo to players, a week after Strategic Sports Group became a minority investor in the new commercial PGA Tour Enterprises.

The private equity group, a consortium of professional sports owners led by the Fenway Sports Group, made an initial investment of $1.5 billion that could be worth $3 billion. The tour is still negotiating with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia — the financial muscle behind the rival LIV Golf league — as an investor.

Any deal with PIF would most certainly increase the value of the equity shares.

Another person with knowledge of the Player Equity Program, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the dealings, said the equity money is not part of the SSG investment. That money was geared toward growth capital.

Golf.com received a series of informational videos on the Player Equity Program that was sent to players and reported only 50% of the equity would vest after four years, 25% more after six years and the rest of it after eight years.

It also reported how the 36 players from the top tier were judged on “career points,” such as how long they were full members, victories, how often they reached the Tour Championship and extra points for significant victories.

Jason Gore, the tour’s chief player officer, said in one of the videos, “It’s really about making sure that our players know the PGA Tour is the best place to compete and showing them how much the Tour appreciates them being loyal.”

Emails also were sent to 64 players who would share $75 million in aggregate equity based on the past three years, and $30 million to 57 players who are PGA Tour members. Also, $75 million in equity shares was set aside for 36 past players instrumental in building the tour.

The program has an additional $600 million in equity grants that are recurring for future PGA Tour players. Those would be awarded in amounts of $100 million annually started in 2025.

Players only get equity shares from one of the four tiers now, although everyone would be eligible for the recurring grants.

Even with equity ownership geared toward making the PGA Tour better, the concern was players questioning who got how much and whether they received their fair share.

LIV Golf lured away seven major champions dating to 2018 since it launched in 2022, all with guaranteed contracts and most of them believed to have topped $100 million.

McIlroy, playing this week in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, was asked how much would make players feel validated for their decision to stay with the PGA Tour.

“I think the one thing we’ve learned in golf over the last two years is there’s never enough,” McIlroy replied.

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2024 PGA Championship odds, field: Surprising PGA picks from golf model that won 11 majors

Sportsline's proven model simulated the pga championship 2024 10,000 times and revealed its pga golf picks for valhalla golf club.

The second major of the season will begin on Thursday, May 16, when the 2024 PGA Championship is held at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1986, Valhalla will host its fourth PGA Championship and has also hosted two Senior PGA Championships and the 2008 Ryder Cup. Rory McIlroy was the winner at Valhalla the last time the club hosted a PGA Championship, defeating Phil Mickelson by a stroke in 2014. McIlroy hasn't won a major championship since despite 20 top-10 finishes, but he's one of the favorites at 10-1 in the 2024 PGA Championship odds.

Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1 player in the world and the 4-1 favorite in the 2024 PGA Championship futures, followed by two-time major champion Jon Rahm at 9-1. Before locking in any 2024 PGA Championship picks of your own, entering PGA DFS lineups on sites like DraftKings or FanDuel, or finalizing PGA Championship props and PGA Championship Pick Six entries, be sure to see the 2024 PGA Championship golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine .

Our proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June of 2020. In fact, the model is up almost $10,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

McClure's model correctly predicted Scottie Scheffler would finish on top of the leaderboard at the 2024 Masters, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and The Players Championship this season. McClure also included Hideki Matsuyama in his best bets to win the 2024 Genesis Invitational. That bet hit at +9000, and for the entire tournament, McClure's best bets returned nearly $1,000.

The model also predicted Jon Rahm would be victorious at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express. At the 2023 Masters, the model was all over Rahm's second career major victory heading into the weekend. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the third round, but the model still projected him as the winner. It was the second straight Masters win for the model, which also nailed Scheffler winning in 2022.

In addition, McClure's best bets included Nick Taylor (70-1) winning the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, Jason Day (17-1) winning outright at the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson, and Rickie Fowler (14-1) finishing on top of the leaderboard at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.

This same model has also nailed a whopping 11 majors entering the weekend and hit the Masters three straight years. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.

Now with the PGA Championship 2024 field taking shape, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.

Top 2024 PGA Championship predictions 

One major surprise the model is calling for at the 2024 PGA Championship: Brooks Koepka, a three-time PGA champion and one of the favorites, stumbles and doesn't even crack the top 10. Koepka has five major tournament wins on his resume and a reputation for elevating his level of play in big events. However, his last two major starts haven't gone well as he was 45th at the Masters, which followed a 64th-place finish at last year's Open Championship. He's failed to shoot par in each of his last seven rounds at major tournaments.

After notching three tournament wins in 2023, including last year's PGA Championship, it has been tough sledding for Koepka in 2024. He has no victories, or even top-fives, and across his six starts, he has three times as many finishes outside the top 25 (three) as he has inside the top 10 (one). He played Valhalla at the 2014 PGA Championship and finished in a tie for 15th place, but that placement ranks just eighth out of his 11 career PGA Championship starts.

Another surprise: Will Zalatoris, a 25-1 longshot, makes a strong run at the title. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. After battling a back injury that held him out of action for nearly nine months, Zalatoris slipped outside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, but is back up to No. 29 following a ninth-place finish at the Masters.

It was already his third top 10 of the season and has become a fixture on the first page of the leaderboard at major championships, finishing top 10 in seven of the 10 majors that he's played since turning professional. Zalatoris finished solo second when he last teed it up at the PGA Championship in 2022 and his iron play is likely to be a deciding factor on a challenging PGA setup. The 27-year-old ranks eighth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: approach (0.720) and was the fifth-best in that category at Augusta this year.  See who else to pick here .

How to make 2024 PGA Championship picks

The model is also targeting three other golfers with odds of 25-1 or longer to make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model's picks here .

Who will win the 2024 PGA Championship, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the PGA Championship 2024 odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected PGA Championship leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 11 golf majors, including the last three Masters .

2024 PGA Championship odds, field

Get full 2024 PGA Championship picks, best bets, and predictions here.

Scottie Scheffler 4-1 Jon Rahm 9-1 Rory McIlroy 10-1 Ludvig Aberg 16-1 Brooks Koepka 16-1 Xander Schauffele 18-1 Viktor Hovland 20-1 Patrick Cantlay 20-1 Wyndham Clark 20-1 Cameron Smith 22-1 Joaquin Niemann 22-1 Collin Morikawa 25-1 Sam Burns 25-1 Max Homa 25-1 Matt Fitzpatrick 28-1 Tom Kim 28-1 Jordan Spieth 30-1 Bryson DeChambeau 30-1 Tony Finau 30-1 Dustin Johnson 30-1 Justin Thomas 33-1 Hideki Matsuyama 35-1 Jason Day 35-1 Cameron Young 35-1 Tommy Fleetwood 40-1 Rickie Fowler 45-1 Min Woo Lee 50-1 Sungjae Im 50-1 Shane Lowry 50-1 Tyrrell Hatton 50-1 Brian Harman 55-1 Corey Conners 60-1 Patrick Reed 65-1 Justin Rose 65-1 Russell Henley 65-1 Sahith Theegala 65-1 Keegan Bradley 75-1 Adam Scott 80-1 Talor Gooch 90-1 Gary Woodland 100-1 Kurt Kitayama 100-1 Daniel Berger 100-1 Louis Oosthuizen 125-1 Tiger Woods 125-1 Si Woo Kim 125-1 Keith Mitchell 125-1 Thomas Pieters 125-1 Abraham Ancer 125-1 J.T. Poston 125-1 Sepp Straka 125-1 Mito Pereira 150-1 Harris English 150-1 Phil Mickelson 150-1 Ryan Fox 150-1 Adam Hadwin 150-1 Sergio Garcia 150-1 Seamus Power 175-1 Denny McCarthy 175-1 Robert MacIntyre 175-1 Christiaan Bezuidenhout 175-1 Davis Riley 175-1 Aaron Wise 175-1 Marc Leishman 175-1 Billy Horschel 200-1 Harold Varner III 200-1 Jason Kokrak 200-1 Mackenzie Hughes 225-1 Francisco Molinari 225-1 Joel Dahmen 250-1

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Report: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy among big PGA Tour payouts

Rory McIlroy explains why the PGA Tour's equity figures are insufficient to compete with LIV Golf's payouts. (0:19)

• ESPN News Services

Tiger Woods , Rory McIlroy and other PGA Tour stars are about to receive massive bonuses for their loyalty.

The Telegraph reported Wednesday that Woods will receive up to $100 million in equity as part of the newly created for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises, with McIlroy getting about half that amount.

The payouts, which are set to be disclosed to the players by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan on Wednesday, are a way to thank players for sticking with the PGA Tour instead of jumping to the rival LIV Golf League and huge paydays from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

Nearly 200 players will receive a stake, with $750 million of it going to the top 36 players based on a formula that weighs career success and cultural popularity, according to The Telegraph. Other notable payouts include $30 million each for Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas , while $75 million is targeted to go to notable retired players.

To receive the money, players would have to continue to remain loyal to the PGA Tour, with the funds vesting over the next eight years, according to The Telegraph. And going forward, the PGA Tour plans to award $100 million per year to the players.

McIlroy, playing this week in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, was asked Wednesday how much would make players feel validated for their decision to stay with the PGA Tour.

"I think the one thing we've learned in golf over the last two years is there's never enough," said McIlroy, who also said that he's interested in returning to the PGA Tour's policy board, as has been reported and is pending a board vote that could take place this week.

"At the end of the day, it's not quite up to me to just come back on the board," McIlroy said. "There's a process that has to be followed."

The other board members are Patrick Cantlay , Peter Malnati , Adam Scott , Spieth and Woods.

PGA Tour Enterprises received an investment of up to $3 billion earlier this year from Strategic Sports Group, a consortium of sports team owners that includes the New York Mets ' Steve Cohen and the Atlanta Falcons ' Arthur Blank.

A week later, Monahan outlined the first-of-its-kind equity ownership program in a Feb. 7 memo to players.

Any deal with PIF would most certainly increase the value of the equity shares.

A source with knowledge of the Player Equity Program told The Associated Press that the equity money is not part of the SSG investment. That money was geared toward growth capital.

Golf.com, which received a series of informational videos on the Player Equity Program that was sent to players, reported only 50% of the equity would vest after four years, 25% more after six years and the rest of it after eight years.

The 36 players from the top tier were judged on "career points," such as how long they were full members, victories, how often they reached the Tour Championship and extra points for significant victories, Golf.com reported.

"It's really about making sure that our players know the PGA Tour is the best place to compete and showing them how much the Tour appreciates them being loyal," Jason Gore, the tour's chief player officer, said in one of the videos obtained by Golf.com.

Emails also were sent to 64 players who would share $75 million in aggregate equity based on the past three years, and $30 million to 57 players who are PGA Tour members. Also, $75 million in equity shares was set aside for 36 past players instrumental in building the tour.

The program has an additional $600 million in equity grants that are recurring for future PGA Tour players. Those would be awarded in amounts of $100 million annually started in 2025.

Players only get equity shares from one of the four tiers now, although everyone would be eligible for the recurring grants.

Even with equity ownership geared toward making the PGA Tour better, the concern was players questioning who got how much and whether they received their fair share.

The PGA Tour and LIV are in merger talks, but they have been protracted, with no clear end in sight. Both tours have continued to operate independently, keeping many of the top names in golf from competing against one another for most of the golf calendar -- major tournaments (Masters, US Open, British Open and PGA Championship) excepted

"I think I could be helpful to the process," McIlroy said of a formalized unification of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. "But only if people want me involved."

He said he aims to promote compromise while also trying "to help people see the benefits of what unification could do for the game and what it could do for this tour in particular."

"We obviously realize the game is not unified right now for a reason, and there's still some hard feelings and things that need to be addressed," McIlroy said. "But I think at this point, for the good of the game, we all need to put those feelings aside and all move forward together."

The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.