did rory mcilroy leave the pga tour

Rory McIlroy resigns from PGA TOUR Policy Board due to personal and professional commitments

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Citing personal and professional commitments, Rory McIlroy has notified the PGA TOUR Policy Board that he is resigning his position as a Player Director.

McIlroy served on the Board for two years after spending the previous three years as a member of the Player Advisory Council. Those five years were marked by unprecedented challenges in the world of golf, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of LIV Golf. He has been a vocal leader for the players as the PGA TOUR navigates its future and proceeds toward a Definitive Agreement with the PIF and DP World Tour following the Framework Agreement that was announced on June 6.

“During his tenure, Rory’s insight has been instrumental in helping shape the success of the TOUR, and his willingness to thoughtfully voice his opinion has been especially impactful,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan in a memo sent to players Tuesday evening.

McIlroy, 34, enters 2024 in his customary position as one of the world’s best players. He is a three-time FedExCup champion and recently clinched his fifth Race to Dubai title. McIlroy is currently ranked No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking, as well, and is coming off a year in which he won both the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and Genesis Scottish Open.

But while he is accustomed to playing a global schedule, McIlroy also will have the added responsibilities that will come with the debut of the TGL in 2024. McIlroy is not only a member of Boston Common Golf – along with Adam Scott, Keegan Bradley and Tyrrell Hatton – but also a co-founder, along with Tiger Woods, of TMRW Sports, which created the tech-infused golf league.

“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,” Commissioner Monahan wrote in the memo.

Speaking from this week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, McIlroy said that his responsibilities as a Board member have been greater than anticipated.

“Not what I signed (up) for whenever I went on the Board," he said. "The game of professional golf has been in flux for the last two years.” He also added that the professional game is “in really good shape.”

Per PGA TOUR Tournament Regulations, whenever the office of any Player Director becomes vacant due to resignation, the remaining Player Directors elect a successor to serve his unexpired term. McIlroy’s term expires at the end of 2024.

Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati and Webb Simpson are the remaining Player Directors.

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Did rory mcilroy quit the pga tour policy board because he was battle-fatigued it lines up, share this article.

There’s never a dull moment with Rory McIlroy, is there?

Given that the Northern Irishman had already won the Race to Dubai – or the order of merit in old money – many were thinking that the recent DP World Tour Championship would be something of an anti-climax.

But on the eve of the $10 million showpiece at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, eye-opening confirmation came through that McIlroy had resigned from his powerful position on the PGA Tour’s policy board.

His memo to the U.S. circuit’s head honcho, Jay Monahan, came as a bit of a bombshell.

McIlroy has been heavily embroiled on the frontline of golf’s power struggle over the last two tumultuous years, and he has made no secret of the fact that the attritional struggle involving the established tours and the LIV Golf rebellion has left him battle-fatigued. No wonder.

One high-powered meeting that he was involved in during the week of a tournament at the height of the strife rumbled on for seven hours.

It’s clear that McIlroy wants to concentrate on doing what he does best – thwacking a little ball around a glorified field – rather than be bogged down in the mire of heated meetings and lengthy phone calls that have become par for the course.

When the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls the LIV series, stunned the golfing world by calling an armistice and unveiling a framework agreement to work together, McIlroy was left as gobsmacked as everybody else.

Rory McIlroy shakes hands with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan after a news conference at East Lake Golf Club ahead of the 2022 Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. (Photo: Steve Helber/Associated Press)

The 34-year-old clearly felt betrayed – he once referred to himself as a “sacrificial lamb” – as a series of clandestine discussions and nod-and-a-wink dealings went on in the whispering shadows.

The various parties involved in the framework agreement gave a deadline of Dec. 31 to hammer home the deal but, due to the multitude of complexities involved, that looks likely to be missed.

There’s also talk of the PIF being jettisoned in favor of a vast financial package cobbled together by a posse of U.S.-based investors. The uneasy truce would swiftly collapse and all would return to the trenches in preparation for a resumption of hostilities.

It’s probably a good thing McIlroy has retreated from the front.

Jon Rahm certainly thinks so. And the Spaniard certainly wasn’t rushing to fill the vacancy that eventually went to Jordan Spieth.

“Absolutely no chance,” he said. “I’ve been asked a couple times if I have any interest but I’m not going to spend time in six, seven-hour long meetings. I’m not here for that.”

Rory’s resignation still came as something of a surprise to the Masters champion.

“Did I expect it?” Rahm said. “Not really. But I can understand why somebody would do that, especially with everything that’s involved.”

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Rory McIlroy Resigns From PGA Tour Board

The decision came about five months after the tour struck an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund to create a joint company.

By Alan Blinder and Lauren Hirsch

Rory McIlroy, the esteemed golfer who was among the most outspoken opponents of his sport’s swelling ties to Saudi Arabia, has resigned from the PGA Tour’s board.

The tour confirmed his departure in a statement on Tuesday night.

“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,” Commissioner Jay Monahan and Edward D. Herlihy, the board’s chairman, said in the statement.

Mr. McIlroy, the men said, was “instrumental in helping shape the success of the tour, and his willingness to thoughtfully voice his opinions has been especially impactful.”

Mr. McIlroy’s agent did not respond to a message seeking comment.

The decision by Mr. McIlroy came about five months after the tour, following secret negotiations, struck an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund to try to create a joint company that would end golf’s money-fueled war for supremacy. Most board members, including Mr. McIlroy, had no knowledge of the agreement or the talks that led to it until shortly before it was announced in June and upended the duel between the tour and LIV Golf , the league Saudi Arabia built with a blend of billions of dollars and marquee defections from the PGA Tour.

Mr. McIlroy soon expressed a pragmatic fatalism about the agreement — which calls for the tour and the wealth fund to combine their commercial golf businesses — and the proposed partnership with Saudi Arabia, which has been expanding its investments in sports.

“If you’re thinking about one of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world, would you rather have them as a partner or an enemy?” Mr. McIlroy asked on June 7, the day after the tour announced the transaction, which has still not closed. “At the end of the day, money talks, and you would rather have them as a partner.”

But he also made no secret that the tour’s machinations had blindsided and stung him. Few golfers had been more strident critics of LIV and the players who joined it, and the PGA Tour had benefited from the credibility of a four-time major tournament winner’s serving, in effect, as its leading public champion.

“It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens,” Mr. McIlroy, who was also among the tour’s leaders during the pandemic, said at the same news conference in Toronto.

Although he soldiered on, he signaled this week that he had tired of the role. Asked in the United Arab Emirates whether he was enjoying his board tenure, Mr. McIlroy replied: “Not particularly, no. Not what I signed up for whenever I went on the board. But yeah, the game of professional golf has been in flux for the last two years.”

He gave no hint that an exit was in the offing.

On Monday, the 12-member board finished a meeting at the tour’s headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., where it heard about a handful of bids for minority stakes that could usurp or come alongside any money from the Saudis. In a memo to players on Tuesday, Mr. Monahan, the tour’s commissioner, said the board had “agreed to continue the negotiation process in order to select the final minority investor(s) in a timely manner.”

Mr. Monahan said in his memo that the tour had heard from “dozens” of prospects about potential investments and winnowed the candidates to a smaller group for board review. For the tour, which has faced blowback from Congress and the Justice Department over its evolving approach to working with Saudi Arabia, there are stakes beyond money.

Some players and executives believe that a role for influential American investors could diminish Washington’s criticism of — and possible efforts to block — the transaction.

“Even if a deal does get done, it’s not a sure thing,” Mr. McIlroy said this week. “So yeah, we are just going to have to wait and see. But in my opinion, the faster something gets done, the better.”

Mr. McIlroy is the second person to resign from the tour’s board since the summer. In July, Randall Stephenson, the former AT&T chief executive, quit the seat he had occupied for a dozen years, citing his “serious concerns with how this framework agreement came to fruition without board oversight.” At the time, Mr. Stephenson wrote that he could not “objectively evaluate or in good conscience support” the agreement, especially given the conclusion of U.S. intelligence services that Saudi Arabia was responsible for the murder of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Mr. Stephenson’s departure turned heads on Wall Street and in golf’s inner sanctums. But the decision by Mr. McIlroy is a particularly public blow to the tour and its board. Although the group still includes figures like Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay, Mr. McIlroy, 34, has long been one of golf’s most amiable stars.

When the time came, though, for the tour to engage in negotiations with the wealth fund, he was among the board members left out of the talks.

Only two members, Mr. Herlihy, a partner at the Wall Street law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, and James J. Dunne III, vice chairman of the investment bank Piper Sandler, were involved. The secrecy infuriated other board members and helped stir a player uprising that led to the summertime installation of Mr. Woods as a director.

Hours before the tour acknowledged Mr. McIlroy’s resignation, it announced a replacement for Mr. Stephenson, Joseph W. Gorder, the executive chairman of Valero’s board.

Alan Blinder is a national correspondent for The Times, covering education. He has reported from more than 35 states, as well as Asia and Europe, since joining The Times in 2013. More about Alan Blinder

Lauren Hirsch joined The Times from CNBC in 2020, covering deals and the biggest stories on Wall Street. More about Lauren Hirsch

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Rory McIlroy abruptly resigns from PGA Tour policy board

Rory McIlroy, right, of Northern Ireland, looks on while standing on the grid before the sprint ahead of the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas,at Circuit of the Americas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Rory McIlroy, left, of Northern Ireland, talks with Alpine driver Esteban Ocon, of France, before the sprint race ahead of the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Rory McIlroy resigned from the PGA Tour board on Tuesday, an abrupt move that comes as the tour is trying to finalize an agreement to create a new commercial enterprise involving Saudi Arabia’s national wealth fund.

McIlroy did not mention his decision earlier in the day at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, though one comment was telling about his three years on the board during some of the tour’s most turbulent 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 thanked McIlroy for his dedication and commitment the last five years — two years on the Player Advisory Council, one as PAC chairman who sat in on board meetings, and the last two years as the first international player to serve on the board.

“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.”

The New York Times first reported McIlroy’s resignation.

Monahan said in a memo to players earlier Tuesday the tour was working toward finalizing an agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and trying to narrow bids from a handful of private equity firms wanting to invest in the for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises.

The deadline to finalize the tour’s deal with the Saudis, an agreement announced June 6, is the end of the year, though the deadline can be extended.

No player has been more outspoken than McIlroy about the PIF’s financial backing of rival league LIV Golf, which attracted a number of major champions with enormous signing fees. LIV Golf recently completed its second year, and it remains unclear how the PIF’s deal with the tour affects it.

McIlroy constantly criticized Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, and panned some of the younger players who went to LIV for “taking the easy way out.”

But he was left in the dark about Monahan’s secret negotiations with the PIF in May, along with other top players. The day after the shock announcement, McIlroy said, “It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens.”

He also said that day he had come to terms with the Saudi involvement in other sports, and that perhaps the tour was better off being a partner as long as it’s done the right way. As recently as last week, he said he hoped the PIF is involved in the tour deal “and we can bring the game of golf back together.”

Players do not receive fees for serving on the board, and McIlroy got involved in tour business at a rough time. He served on the PAC in 2019 and 2020, the latter right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and the tour finding a way 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.”

McIlroy also is involved in TMRW Sports with Tiger Woods, an entertainment and media venture that is behind the new tech-infused TGL golf league that starts in January.

He already has clinched his fifth season title on the European tour and said he felt he was playing some of his best golf, even as he tries to end a decade without winning a major.

The remaining five player-directors on the 12-member board will elect a successor to serve McIlroy’s term, which ends after next year.

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In a stunning blow to the status quo, Rory McIlroy has resigned from the PGA Tour’s policy board.

McIlroy cited “professional and personal commitments” in his resignation letter to the Tour as the circuit attempts to negotiate a definitive agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and navigate an uncertain future.

The Northern Irishman began his term in 2022 in the midst of an unprecedented threat from LIV Golf and he had been the Tour’s most outspoken supporter. But at this week’s DP World Tour finale, he conceded his duties as a player director were more than he bargained for.

“Not particularly, no,” McIlroy replied when asked if he was enjoying his tenure. “Not what I signed up 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 memo sent to players late Tuesday, Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said the Northern Irishman’s “insight has been instrumental in helping shape the success of the Tour.”

“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 said in the memo.

According to Tour regulations, the remaining player directors on the policy board – Tiger Woods, Webb Simpson, Charley Hoffman, Patrick Cantlay and Peter Malnati – will select a replacement for McIlroy to serve out the remainder of his term through 2024.

The year’s final policy board meeting was held Monday and in a memo to players early Tuesday , Monahan said the negotiations with the PIF and other private equity firms were ongoing and a governance review of the Tour “remains a priority.”

In surprise move, Rory McIlroy resigns from influential PGA Tour board

One day after a critical meeting related to potential investors who could help secure the PGA Tour’s economic foundation , Rory McIlroy abruptly resigned his position from the organization’s influential policy board Tuesday, citing “professional and personal commitments,” according to a memo from PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.

The decision and timing of McIlroy’s announcement leave more questions than answers as the world’s second-ranked golfer had taken on a leadership role during a tumultuous period for the tour. McIlroy was among the most vocal golfers about the threat posed by the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit.

Monahan shared the news in a memo to players Tuesday evening, saying McIlroy submitted his resignation earlier in the day — less than 24 hours after the Northern Irish golfer took part in the board’s quarterly meeting in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., an all-day summit at which members were briefed on investment proposals from several groups. The board took no formal action but agreed to continue discussions with some of the finalists.

“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 wrote.

It was Monahan’s second memo of the day to players. On Tuesday morning, he briefed them on the board meeting but made no mention of McIlroy and did not disclose any potential conflicts or disagreements that would have led to his departure from the board.

Monahan and Ed Herlihy, chair of the policy board, thanked McIlroy for his service in a statement Tuesday night, saying the golfer’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.”

McIlroy’s agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

McIlroy served three years on the tour’s player advisory council before joining the policy board in 2022. He has been among the organization’s most influential voices as it has navigated a precarious period, first during the coronavirus pandemic and then through the existential crisis posed by LIV Golf, which siphoned off tour players with lucrative contract offers and upended the economics of the sport.

While McIlroy has long been critical of LIV Golf, he has recently expressed a willingness to work with its controversial benefactors, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. More than five months after announcing a proposed partnership with the PIF, the PGA Tour still hasn’t agreed to final terms and has started entertaining offers from other investors.

“I would hope when we go through this process, the PIF are the ones that are involved in the framework agreement,” McIlroy said during an appearance last week on CNBC. “Obviously, there’s been other suitors that have been involved and offering their services and their help. But hopefully, when this is all said and done, I sincerely hope that the PIF are involved and we can bring the game of golf back together.”

McIlroy met with reporters Tuesday, ahead of the DP World Tour’s season finale in Dubai, and didn’t mention any qualms with his spot on the board. He again said he was hopeful the tour would soon reach terms with the deep-pocketed Saudis — “the faster something gets done, the better,” he said — and was then asked whether he enjoyed having a seat at the decision-making table.

“Not particularly, no,” he said. “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.”

As one of the most recognizable faces in the game, McIlroy has relationships with people across the golf universe, from Monahan to PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan to Tiger Woods. He is also closely aligned with Fenway Sports Group, which is considered a front-runner to invest in the tour and take on a leading role in establishing a new for-profit entity called PGA Tour Enterprises, according to two people familiar with the discussions. The Boston-based private holding company owns the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, Liverpool Football Club and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It also recently invested in Boston Common Golf, one of six teams in the TGL indoor golf league, a new venture founded by McIlroy and Woods that’s slated to begin play in January. McIlroy is the anchor of the Boston team.

The PGA Tour is still negotiating with the Saudis, and people familiar with the process say a tour partnership with Fenway Sports Group or other investors doesn’t necessarily preclude the PIF from moving forward with an investment in the tour. Under terms of the initial agreement struck in June, the tour and the Saudi PIF have until the end of the year to reach a final deal, though people close to the process say an extension is likely.

Monahan told players in the memo Tuesday morning that the tour is still “focused on our negotiations toward a Definitive Agreement” with the PIF, adding that “progress has been deliberate.”

Players were initially blindsided by the PIF deal. It prompted them to argue for more representation on the policy board, and Woods was added in August . Monday brought Woods’s first meeting — and McIlroy’s last. The remaining players on the policy board will select another golfer to finish McIlroy’s term, which runs through 2024. The 12-person policy board is composed of six independent directors and six players. The other players are Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s departure marks the second policy board resignation since the tour announced plans to partner with the PIF. Former AT&T executive Randall Stephenson resigned his position in July, saying he had “serious concerns” about the tour’s decision to work with the Saudis.

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Rory McIlroy resigns as player director on PGA Tour policy board

Rory McIlroy hits a sensational tee shot on the par-3 17th hole to seal a shutout for Team Europe in the Friday foursomes. (0:30)

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ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Georgia -- Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy , one of the PGA Tour's most vocal supporters during its battle with LIV Golf, has resigned as a player director on the tour's influential policy board, a tour official confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.

McIlroy, the No. 2 golfer in the world, announced his resignation in a letter to the full policy board Tuesday. He joined the board in 2022 and was expected to serve through 2024. He cited personal and professional commitments in making his decision to leave the board.

"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 and Edward D. Herlihy, the policy board's chairman, said in a statement, as first reported by The New York Times.

McIlroy was blindsided by the PGA Tour's controversial decision on June 6 to enter into a framework agreement to form a partnership with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and the DP World Tour. He had been a loud critic of the breakaway LIV Golf League, which is being funded by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.

McIlroy wasn't informed of the framework agreement until a few hours before it was announced by Monahan and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan on CNBC.

At a news conference at the RBC Canadian Open the day after the deal was announced, McIlroy admitted that he was stung by the news after taking such a strong stance against LIV Golf, which had poached star golfers like Dustin Johnson , Brooks Koepka , Bryson DeChambeau , Phil Mickelson and others from the PGA Tour with guaranteed contracts worth more than $100 million.

"It's hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I've put myself out there and this is what happens," McIlroy said in Toronto.

In the end, however, McIlroy seemed resigned to the fact that the PGA Tour couldn't keep battling the Saudis' deep pockets on both the course and in the courts. The framework agreement ended a costly legal battle between the circuits.

"If you're thinking about one of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world, would you rather have them as a partner or an enemy?" McIlroy said in Toronto. "At the end of the day, money talks, and you would rather have them as a partner."

The framework agreement hasn't been finalized, and the PGA Tour has been weighing additional investment offers from U.S.-based companies over the past few months. The framework agreement is set to expire on Dec. 31, although sources have told ESPN that it can be extended.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, ahead of this week's DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, McIlroy said his role on the policy board wasn't one he had enjoyed.

"Not particularly, no," McIlroy said. "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. Again, the overall game I think is in really good shape. But everyone focuses on this top level because it is what it is, and it's an entertainment product and it's a show, but the faster that it gets rectified, I think the better for everyone."

McIlroy served as a member of the player advisory council from 2019 to 2021, serving the last year as PAC chairman. In his two years as a player director on the policy board, he dealt with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing battle with LIV Golf.

"During his tenure, 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," Monahan wrote in a text message that was distributed to PGA Tour members Tuesday night.

McIlroy, 34, is entering what might be the twilight of his professional golf career. He has won 42 times around the world, including 24 times on the PGA Tour, but hasn't captured a major championship since winning the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. He needs to win the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam but is 0-for-9 in trying to win a green jacket.

Tiger Woods joined the policy board as a sixth player director on Aug. 1. The remaining player directors include Charley Hoffman (who will be replaced by Adam Scott on Jan. 1), Webb Simpson , Peter Malnati and Patrick Cantlay . The board also comprises five independent directors and one director representing the PGA of America.

Per PGA Tour regulations, the remaining player directors will elect a successor to serve for the unexpired term. McIlroy's term expires at the end of 2024.

Masters champion Jon Rahm told reporters in Dubai on Wednesday that he was not interested in joining the policy board.

"You won't see me there," Rahm said. "Absolutely no chance. I've been asked a couple times if I have any interest. I don't know how many meetings they have, but they are six, seven hours-plus long. I'm not here for that."

On Tuesday, the tour announced that Joseph W. "Joe" Gorder, executive chairman of Valero Energy Corporation, has been unanimously approved to replace former independent director Randall Stephenson on the policy board.

Stephenson, a former AT&T chairman, resigned in protest over the PIF deal.

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Rory McIlroy’s sudden PGA Tour board resignation raises questions

Rory McIlroy announced his resignation from the PGA Tour's board on Tuesday afternoon.

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Rory McIlroy faced the press on Tuesday in Dubai, taking questions ahead of the DP World Tour’s Tour Championship. One query proved particularly prescient.

Are you enjoying having a seat at that particular table?

The table in question was the PGA Tour’s policy board . And McIlroy’s answer was blunt.

“Not particularly, no,” he said. “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.”

Those comments teased at news that would come out later Tuesday evening in the form of an email from PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan : McIlroy had resigned from his position.

The email, first posted by Monday Q Info on Twitter , said that McIlroy had sent a resignation letter to the rest of the board on Tuesday afternoon, calling it a “difficult decision” made “due to professional and personal commitments.”

Monahan went on to thank McIlroy for serving on the Player Advisory Council, which he did from 2019 through 2021 before serving as Player Director on the Policy board in 2022 and 2023. His term was supposed to expire at the end of 2024.

Since coming on at the beginning of 2022, McIlroy had played a key role in reshaping the Tour; he rallied support for a unified PGA Tour response to LIV, including a new model that has become the Signature Events that will define the 2024 PGA Tour season.

The other Player Directors will now elect a successor to serve the rest of McIlroy’s term.

Big picture, the news comes five months after the Tour entered into a framework agreement with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the backers of LIV Golf, to form a joint company going forward. McIlroy had spent much of the previous year fighting for the future of the PGA Tour in its battle against LIV; he admitted at the time that the deal’s sudden announcement left McIlroy feeling “ like a sacrificial lamb .”

In the months that followed McIlroy stayed away from the topic where he could and backed off his original position, acknowledging the shifting dynamics of the professional game and the potential benefits of a PIF investment into the existing ecosystem. On Tuesday, he reiterated that at this point, he hopes the deal gets done.

The news also comes on the heels of a Monday board meeting memo delivered by Monahan updating players on board positions and on ongoing negotiations surrounding that framework agreement.

That memo expressed the Tour’s desire to negotiate “toward a Definitive Agreement with PIF and the DP World Tour.” It laid out additional interest from “dozens” of non-PIF investors, which it is evaluating. And it announced that Patrick Cantlay , who’d been serving in a one-year capacity, had been reappointed by the Player Directors to serve a three-year term from 2024-26. That formalized his place on the board alongside Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati and Webb Simpson as well as Tiger Woods, who joined the board in August, and McIlroy.

It was the second time this week that Cantlay and McIlroy had been in headlines together; in an interview released Sunday McIlroy said that his relationship with Cantlay was “average at best” and added that they “see the world quite differently” in the context of McIlroy’s Ryder Cup showdown with Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava .

Michael Kim was among the first pros to react to McIlroy’s move; he wrote that he was “a bit sad” to see the news of his resignation.

“Hopefully someone thoughtful and reasonable will replace him,” he wrote on Twitter.

I didn’t agree with some of Rory’s opinions but he clearly cared about the PGATOUR and tried to make thoughtful decisions. A bit sad to see Rory resign from the board. I’m sure many board members tried to persuade him otherwise but it’s definitely a taxing position. Hopefully… — Michael S. Kim (@Mike_kim714) November 15, 2023

It’s clear that McIlroy continues to think about the future of the game. He made it clear on Tuesday that he’d been considering golf’s attempts to reach a younger audience. “The future of our game is trying to get the younger generations involved and trying to have them somehow relate to our game in some way,” he said.

McIlroy added praise for recent developments on the DP World Tour, which has formalized a pathway to the PGA Tour, a controversial decision because of its emphasis on the former as a feeder circuit. “It’s always been there. It’s just a bit more official,” he said.

He also mused on the end result of any discussions.

“Okay, if we can create a perfect golf calendar, what would it look like?” McIlroy asked rhetorically. “And I don’t think it would look like it looks right now. I think there would be changes made.”

But for now, if McIlroy is involved in those changes it will come from outside the boundaries of the Policy Board.

Until McIlroy comments on the resignation there’s no telling what combination of factors led to his decision, leaving questions about his motive, about the board’s future and about what leadership role he does or does not want to play. But in his Tuesday press conference, even as he trumpeted the financial strength of the professional game, he hinted at the questions it’s facing, too.

“I think if you were in the middle of it, you would see that there’s a path forward,” he said. “It’s just that no one on the outside has any details, right. Loose lips sink ships, so we are trying to keep it tight and within walls. I’m sure when there’s news to tell, it will be told.”

With McIlroy’s letter to the board later on Tuesday, a first bit of news has now been told. The entirety of what it means remains to be seen.

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Dylan Dethier is a senior writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America , which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.

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Rory McIlroy abruptly resigns from PGA Tour policy board amid Saudi Arabia negotiations

The four-time major champion cited personal and professional commitments as the reason for his resignation, by doug ferguson | the associated press • published november 15, 2023.

Rory McIlroy resigned from the PGA Tour board on Tuesday, an abrupt move that comes as the tour is trying to finalize an agreement to create a new commercial enterprise involving Saudi Arabia's national wealth fund.

McIlroy did not mention his decision earlier in the day at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, though one comment was telling about his three years on the board during some of the tour's most turbulent 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 thanked McIlroy for his dedication and commitment the last five years — two years on the Player Advisory Council, one as PAC chairman who sat in on board meetings, and the last two years as the first international player to serve on the board.

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“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.”

The New York Times first reported McIlroy's resignation.

Monahan said in a memo to players earlier Tuesday the tour was working toward finalizing an agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and trying to narrow bids from a handful of private equity firms wanting to invest in the for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises.

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The deadline to finalize the tour's deal with the Saudis, an agreement announced June 6, is the end of the year, though the deadline can be extended.

No player has been more outspoken than McIlroy about the PIF's financial backing of rival league LIV Golf, which attracted a number of major champions with enormous signing fees. LIV Golf recently completed its second year, and it remains unclear how the PIF's deal with the tour affects it.

McIlroy constantly criticized Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, and panned some of the younger players who went to LIV for “taking the easy way out.”

But he was left in the dark about Monahan's secret negotiations with the PIF in May, along with other top players. The day after the shock announcement, McIlroy said, “It's hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens.”

He also said that day he had come to terms with the Saudi involvement in other sports, and that perhaps the tour was better off being a partner as long as it's done the right way. As recently as last week, he said he hoped the PIF is involved in the tour deal “and we can bring the game of golf back together.”

Players do not receive fees for serving on the board, and McIlroy got involved in tour business at a rough time. He served on the PAC in 2019 and 2020, the latter right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and the tour finding a way 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.”

McIlroy also is involved in TMRW Sports with Tiger Woods, an entertainment and media venture that is behind the new tech-infused TGL golf league that starts in January.

He already has clinched his fifth season title on the European tour and said he felt he was playing some of his best golf, even as he tries to end a decade without winning a major.

The remaining five player-directors on the 12-member board will elect a successor to serve McIlroy's term, which ends after next year.

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Rory McIlroy set for surprise return to PGA Tour board: Report

LOS ANGELES – Rory McIlroy did not stay away from the PGA Tour’s policy board for long.

The four-time Major champion from Northern Ireland will return as a player-director and take a seat on the board of PGA Tour Enterprises, the Guardian reported on April 22.

McIlroy stepped back from the policy board in November following the dramatic tussle between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf and the organisations’ subsequent “framework agreement” for a merger.

According to the Guardian, however, Webb Simpson has submitted his resignation from the policy board with an “explicit request” that McIlroy take his seat.

The world No. 2 would need to be approved by a vote on April 24, per the report. With peers like Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay holding votes, it is unlikely McIlroy’s return would face any resistance.

The PGA Tour and DP World Tour have not completed a final merger agreement with LIV’s financiers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), in the months since a self-imposed Dec 31 deadline came and went.

In the meantime, LIV poached its highest-profile golfer to date in two-time Major winner Jon Rahm. The Spaniard was ranked among the top three in the world when he signed with LIV Golf in December.

The PGA Tour entered a separate partnership with Strategic Sports Group (SSG), a consortium of United States-based sports team owners.

Adding McIlroy as a player-director could fuel hope that a deal with the PIF can move forward, the Guardian reported.

The Northern Irishman, once a sharp critic of LIV Golf, has since come to the position that men’s golf needs reuniting, with LIV players allowed back on the tour without penalty.

The 34-year-old also denied a rumor last week that he was offered US$850 million (S$1.16 billion) to jump to LIV.

In other news, Woods announced on April 22 that Max Homa, Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner will join him on his four-man Jupiter Links Golf Club team that will compete in the indoor simulator golf league scheduled to begin in January 2025.

The TGL, a primetime golf league featuring six squads of four PGA Tour players competing in a fast-paced form of team golf, is run by TMRW Sports, a tech-focused sports company established by Woods and McIlroy in 2022.

“I have already shared my excitement and optimism for TGL,” said Woods, part owner of Jupiter Links Golf Club.

“Now that we have finalised our roster with a team of world-class golfers, I am even more confident that this group will proudly represent the Jupiter area and connect with our fans for years to come.” REUTERS

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Rory McIlroy to Rejoin PGA Tour Policy Board, per Report

The world No. 2 resigned his position as a player director on the board six months ago.

• Author: Bob Harig

Six months after resigning his position as a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, Rory McIlroy is apparently set to rejoin the group, at the behest of former U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson.

The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom reported Monday that Simpson is looking to resign his spot among the six player directors and has asked that McIlroy return to take his position.

The PGA Tour declined to comment on the report.

The Guardian cited sources in saying that McIlroy, No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking and a four-time major champion, would return to the board which would also include a position on the board of the newly-created PGA Tour Enterprises.

Such an appointment would need the approval of the 12 members of the PGA Tour Policy Board, which include player directors Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay, Peter Malnati, Jordan Spieth and Simpson. A PGA Tour official said that Simpson has not resigned his position.

Spieth replaced McIlroy on the board last fall after the Northern Irishman said he wanted to focus more of his efforts inside the ropes . When he arrives at the PGA Championship next month in Louisville, Ky., he will return to the place where he won his last major title 10 years ago.

McIlroy, who had been an outspoken critic of the LIV Golf League before softening in recent months , was among the top players who sought changes to the PGA Tour schedule that would enhance player benefits, such as the signature events.

“Rory’s resignation letter, which he sent to the full board, clearly stated that the difficult decision was made due to professional and personal commitments,” said Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour’s commissioner, at the time of his resignation. “Given the extraordinary time and effort that Rory—and all his fellow player directors—have invested in 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.”

A return to the board could signal McIlroy’s desires to see an end to the stalemate that has seen the PGA Tour and DP World Tour on opposite ends of a framework agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which backs LIV Golf.

McIlroy has met Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the PIF, and while he said again last week that he has no plans to ever join LIV Golf, he has made it clear that he believes a deal is necessary.

“Fundamentally he wants to do the right thing,” McIlroy said of Al-Rumayyan last month at the Players Championship. “I think I've said this before, I have spent time with Yasir and his—the people that have represented him in LIV I think have done him a disservice ... so (LIV commissioner Greg) Norman and those guys.

“I see the two entities, and I think there's a big ... I actually think there's a really big disconnect between PIF and LIV. I think you got PIF over here and LIV are sort of over here doing their own thing. So the closer that we can get to Yasir, PIF and hopefully finalize that investment, I think that will be a really good thing.”

LIV Golf is in its third year and has signed several big-name players to lucrative guaranteed contracts, including three of the past six major champions—Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith.

Asked how he viewed the distinction between LIV and the PIF, McIlroy said: “I think their disruptiveness and his—their disruptiveness, and then his ... I don't know what the right word is ... I guess his desire to be involved in the world of golf in a productive way.”

Since then, Al-Rumayyan met with Monahan and all of the player directors, including Woods, in the Bahamas .

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Rory McIlroy is returning to PGA Tour's Policy Board, per report

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A week ago, Rory McIlroy was once again emphatically squashing rumors that he was leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, saying he would play on the American-based tour for the rest of his career. On Monday, it was reported that McIlroy is doubling down on that promise by once again returning to the PGA Tour’s Policy Board.

The Guardian reported the Ulsterman is expected to return to the board as a director for both the Policy Board and PGA Tour Enterprises as a replacement for Webb Simpson, whom, the Guardian said, offered his resignation with the request that McIlroy take his place. McIlroy is expected to be re-elected onto the board this week ahead of playing in the Zurich Classic.

A return to the policy fold by the tour’s strongest voice and one of its most popular players appears to be a promising development for the PGA Tour and DP World Tour as they move forward in a new business partnership with Strategic Sports Group, which will invest billions in the tours over the next several years.

It was only in November that the current World No. 2 resigned from the Policy Board, saying he wanted to focus more of his time on his family and his game.

Over the past year, McIlroy has changed his stances on the tense divide between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, going from an outspoken critic of the Saudi Arabia- backed league to saying that he has spoken to Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and believes “the game is way better with all of us together.”

Negotiations between the PGA Tour and PIF have been ongoing, but there has been little indiciation of significant progress in recent weeks.

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Rory McIlroy set to make a surprise return to PGA Tour board

• Webb Simpson requested world No 2 to take his place
• Four-time major winner resigned from policy board in November
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Rory McIlroy’s commitment to a stronger future for elite golf could be confirmed by a dramatic return to board positions on the PGA Tour as early as this week. Sources close to the situation have told the Guardian that roles for McIlroy as a director both on the PGA Tour’s policy board and on PGA Tour Enterprises are subject to a vote on Wednesday, after Webb Simpson tendered resignation along with the explicit request that the Northern Irishman takes his place.

McIlroy reappearing on the frontline will represent a major boost to the PGA Tour and its sponsors as the sport attempts to end the disruption caused by the Saudi Arabian-backed LIV’s arrival on the scene.

McIlroy surprisingly resigned from the PGA Tour’s policy board last November. The assumption then was that the four-time major winner wanted to place more focus on matters inside the ropes . Yet men’s professional golf remains in a state of flux, with traditional tours and LIV operating on different paths. McIlroy has always felt damage being done to golf’s reputation and exposure as a result of the LIV schism is hugely harmful. “The game is way better with all of us together,” McIlroy said in recent days.

The 34-year-old is now of a mind to step back into the scenario in an attempt to make headway. McIlroy stated his desire to play on the PGA Tour for the remainder of his career last week, after spurious rumours suggested he may be subject to a LIV offer. That the world No 2 still wants to be at the forefront of the PGA Tour’s decision making should sit well with the rank and file membership.

Others likely to be impressed by McIlroy’s potential return include the DP World Tour, who would have a boardroom voice at the PGA Tour, and Fenway Sports Group (FSG). FSG, as part of the Strategic Sports Group (SSG), signed a commercial agreement with the PGA Tour earlier this year. Fenway and McIlroy have existing connections via TGL, a stadium golf league due to launch in 2025. McIlroy also enjoys historically good relations with Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). The PIF has a desire to work alongside the PGA Tour and SSG but have been unable to make sufficient headway on that deal; there will be a hope McIlroy can move the process forward.

Fellow board members who will vote on McIlroy’s return include Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth. Cantlay’s thoughts on this matter could be especially interesting. Spieth and McIlroy had words after the Texan suggested an alliance with the PIF “wasn’t needed.” al-Rumayyan subsequently held a meeting with PGA Tour board members and SSG in the Bahamas. McIlroy is in the field for this week’s Zurich Classic in New Orleans.

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PGA Tour Board to get shocking Rory McIlroy shakeup amid surprising resignation

Rory McIlroy left the PGA Tour Policy Board last year, but now the Northern Irishman may find himself back in leadership.

Sources confirmed that the four-time major winner could see a director role on both the PGA Tour Policy Board and PGA Tour Enterprises with a vote on Wednesday, per The Guardian.

Webb Simpson, a current player director, offered his resignation Monday, requesting that McIlroy replace him.

McIlroy relinquished his leadership duties last November, which came as a shock. When he left, McIlroy stated that he wanted to focus more on his game.

It is unclear whether he will accept the role.

Professional golf is still in limbo. There has been no update on the Saudi PIF and PGA Tour negotiations after the June 6th framework agreement.

The 24-time PGA Tour winner has expressed his belief that golf’s reputation has been damaged throughout this process.

This news comes a week after McIlroy squashed his own LIV Golf rumors and told the world that he would play on the PGA Tour for the rest of his career.

His pending return to the trenches could help the morale of the membership. The DP World Tour and Fenway Sports Group are also likely pleased with this development. The PGA Tour brokered a deal worth up to $3 billion with the sports consortium earlier this year.

McIlroy and Tiger Woods have existing connections with FSG through TGL, a simulation golf league that will launch in January 2025. Yet, the World No. 2 also has an existing relationship with the governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Yasir al-Rumayyan.

Woods, Patrick Cantlay, and Jordan Spieth are fellow board members who will vote on McIlroy’s possible return. McIlroy is in New Orleans this week with playing partner Shane Lowry for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans .

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Rory McIlroy Abruptly Resigns From PGA Tour Policy Board

Rory McIlroy has abruptly resigned from the PGA Tour board

Darron Cummings

Rory McIlroy, right, of Northern Ireland, looks on while standing on the grid before the sprint ahead of the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix auto race at Circuit of the Americas,at Circuit of the Americas, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Rory McIlroy resigned from the PGA Tour board on Tuesday, an abrupt move that comes as the tour is trying to finalize an agreement to create a new commercial enterprise involving Saudi Arabia's national wealth fund.

McIlroy did not mention his decision earlier in the day at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, though one comment was telling about his three years on the board during some of the tour's most turbulent 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 thanked McIlroy for his dedication and commitment the last five years — two years on the Player Advisory Council, one as PAC chairman who sat in on board meetings, and the last two years as the first international player to serve on the board.

“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.”

The New York Times first reported McIlroy's resignation.

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Monahan said in a memo to players earlier Tuesday the tour was working toward finalizing an agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and trying to narrow bids from a handful of private equity firms wanting to invest in the for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises.

The deadline to finalize the tour's deal with the Saudis, an agreement announced June 6, is the end of the year, though the deadline can be extended.

No player has been more outspoken than McIlroy about the PIF's financial backing of rival league LIV Golf, which attracted a number of major champions with enormous signing fees. LIV Golf recently completed its second year, and it remains unclear how the PIF's deal with the tour affects it.

McIlroy constantly criticized Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, and panned some of the younger players who went to LIV for “taking the easy way out.”

But he was left in the dark about Monahan's secret negotiations with the PIF in May, along with other top players. The day after the shock announcement, McIlroy said, “It's hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens.”

He also said that day he had come to terms with the Saudi involvement in other sports, and that perhaps the tour was better off being a partner as long as it's done the right way. As recently as last week, he said he hoped the PIF is involved in the tour deal “and we can bring the game of golf back together.”

Players do not receive fees for serving on the board, and McIlroy got involved in tour business at a rough time. He served on the PAC in 2019 and 2020, the latter right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and the tour finding a way 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.”

McIlroy also is involved in TMRW Sports with Tiger Woods, an entertainment and media venture that is behind the new tech-infused TGL golf league that starts in January.

He already has clinched his fifth season title on the European tour and said he felt he was playing some of his best golf, even as he tries to end a decade without winning a major.

The remaining five player-directors on the 12-member board will elect a successor to serve McIlroy's term, which ends after next year.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Copyright 2023 The  Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Rory mcilroy set to be pitched into ugly pga tour vs liv golf battle again with return to top table.

Golf superstar Rory McIlroy is expected to make a dramatic return to the PGA Tour's policy board this week – just five months after he stepped down from the group.

McIlroy, who has won four Majors and the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup three times, is one of the most influential figures in golf. Despite not having won a Major for 10 years, the 34-year-old still holds the second spot in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

The golf world has been split since the introduction of LIV Golf in 2022. The breakaway circuit, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has enticed some of the biggest names in the sport to leave the PGA Tour with promises of substantial financial rewards. Golfing greats such as Phil Mickelson , Jon Rahm , Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka have all signed up with LIV. Initially, McIlroy was a vocal critic of the league when it launched but has since softened his stance, leading to rumours that he might also leave the PGA Tour.

Last November, McIlroy resigned from his position on the PGA Tour's policy board. Following The Masters this month, there were whispers of an astonishing $850million (£672m) move to LIV, reports the Mirror . However, it seems he will stay with the PGA Tour.

Just last week, McIlroy confirmed his commitment to the PGA Tour for the remainder of his career and now appears ready to take it a step further. According to The Guardian, a vote is scheduled for Wednesday to determine whether McIlroy will become a director on the PGA Tour's policy board.

Webb Simpson's surprising resignation from the board paves the way for McIlroy, who is poised to replace him upon members' vote. The same ballot will also determine if McIlroy takes on directorship of PGA Tour Enterprises, handling the commercial operations of the organisation.

The potential decision would put McIlroy right back into the thick of things in the PGA Tour's tussle with LIV. While the PGA Tour and PIF are knee-deep in merger discussions, there's no inked deal as yet. In the midst of this, McIlroy has voiced his hopes for unity in golf after a tension-filled couple of years.

Not too long ago - merely five months back, McIlroy tendered his resignation and opted to leave the policy board of the PGA Tour. Upon being questioned about whether this was a premeditated move, he candidly expressed: "It has. Something had to give. There's only so many hours in the day and so many days in the week and I've got a lot going on in my life right now. Between trying to be a world-class golfer and trying to be a good husband and a good father, I've got a growing investment portfolio that's taking up more of my time... I've got a lot going on."

However, it seems that McIlroy is revitalised and ready to step up to the plate again. His reinstallation to the board will be the decision of his peers among them Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth. Interesting to note is McIlroy's tiff with Cantlay's caddie, Joe LaCava, at the Ryder Cup last year.

Spieth and McIlroy have also had a disagreement over whether the PIF's financial investment should be welcomed by the PGA Tour. Spieth remains uncertain, while McIlroy is keen to collaborate with LIV's backers and PIF governor Yasir al-Rumayyan to bring unity back to his cherished sport.

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Zurich Classic 2024: Odds, predictions, picks for PGA Tour team event

The only team event on the PGA Tour is here, as TPC Louisiana takes center stage in hosting the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

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The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is unlike any other event on the PGA Tour .

Instead of individual stroke play for 72 holes, this tournament employs a team format that features two players each.

For Thursday’s first round and Saturday’s third round, teams will play Four-ball, which means each player will play their own ball. The best score among the two players is then taken on each hole for the team. Then, for Friday’s second round and Sunday’s final round, teams will compete in foursomes—also known as alternate shot—so only one score is tallied per hole.

Of the 80 teams in the field, the top 33 and ties make it to the weekend. The winning team receives 800 FedEx Cup points—400 to each player—and two-year exemptions on the PGA Tour. However, the victors do not receive invitations to The Masters the following year, nor do they obtain any Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

Zurich Classic of New Orleans Odds:

Here are the current odds for the teams to win, per DraftKings:

• Patrick Cantlay & Xander Schauffele +500
• Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry +800
• Will Zalatoris & Sahith Theegala +1100
• Collin Morikawa & Kurt Kitayama +1600
• Tom Hoge & Maverick McNealy +2500
• Matt Fitzpatrick & Alex Fitzpatrick +2500
• Taylor Pendrith & Corey Conners +3500
• Rasmus Højgaard & Nicolai Højgaard +3500
• Taylor Montgomery & Ben Griffin +4000
• Sepp Straka & Ben Griffin +4000
• Nick Taylor & Adam Hadwin +4000
• Keith Mitchell & Joel Dahmen +4000
• Brice Garnett & Sepp Straka +4000

Zurich Classic of New Orleans Predictions

An all-Irish duo of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry highlight this year’s Zurich Classic in New Orleans. But so do Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele —the only team that comprises two players ranked within the top 10 of the OWGR.

Three sets of brothers will also compete, including the Fitzpatrick’s, who tied for 19th a year ago here. Netflix’s season two of Full Swing underscored their triumphs and tribulations from this event through The Open Championship last season.

The other brothers in this week’s field include the formidable Danish duo of Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard and Americans Pierceson and Parker Coody. As such, the 2024 Zurich Classic marks the first time in PGA Tour history that two sets of twins will compete in the same event.

Cantlay, Schauffele contend but fall short again

Cantlay and Schauffele arrive in the Bayou as the odds-on favorites, and rightfully so. They form the best team on paper, but Cantlay has not had a terrific 2024 campaign.

The former UCLA Bruin currently ranks 91st on tour in overall strokes gained and 149th in strokes gained, approaching the green this season. He only has two top-10 finishes as well.

Cantlay’s iron play has sorely let him down, but perhaps he discovered something last week at Harbour Town. He tied for 3rd at the RBC Heritage and ranked 5th in strokes gained approaching the green on a golf course that places a premium on iron play. That marked his best finish since the Genesis Invitational , where he held the lead for most of the tournament but ultimately tied for 4th.

Meanwhile, Schauffele has had a marvelous season, ranking second behind Scottie Scheffler in overall strokes gained. He tied for 18th at the RBC Heritage, but prior to that, he recorded three straight top 10s, which includes a tie for 2nd at TPC Sawgrass and a solo 8th at Augusta National .

It would not surprise us if this duo went on to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans once again. After all, they did so in 2022 with an incredible score of 29-under par. But these two golfers have struggled to finish the job this year when the light has shined brightest. We envision that narrative persisting, especially since they arrive as heavy favorites with all eyes watching them.

The Winners: A pair of young American stars

We like the team of Sahith Theegala and Will Zalatoris to prevail this week in Louisiana. They arrive with the third-lowest odds at +1100, a solid price for these young stars.

Theegala, fresh off a solo second finish at the RBC Heritage, already has five top 10s this season. He has an innate ability to shape whatever shot he desires and ranks 13th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting. That, coupled with Zalatoris’ pedigree of being a terrific ball-striker, leads us to believe that Theegala and Zalatoris will triumph.

Plus, these two have a great camaraderie with one another, as emphasized by Theegala’s remarks after his solid week in Harbour Town.

“I’m super excited. I just want to win really badly with Will. I’m pumped that he agreed to play with me and know he’s going to carry me a little bit, but we’re just going to have such a good time, and I think our games mesh really well,” Theegala said Monday.

“We’re going to give each other some crap if we hit bad shots and give each other plenty of love for the good shots. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and I think really just going to try and take it down.”

Interestingly, Theegala and Zalatoris have each won once before on the PGA Tour. Theegala’s maiden victory came at the Fortinet Championship last September, while Zalatoris prevailed for the first time in August 2022 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

They know what it takes to win. But the circumstances change somewhat this week, as these players enter unfamiliar territory playing on a team professionally. Neither has competed in the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup , but Zalatoris did compete in the 2017 Walker Cup as an amateur at the Los Angeles Country Club .

Still, these two entertaining Americans will rely on each other’s strengths to win the Zurich Classic.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

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Rory McIlroy denies rumors he is close to accepting LIV Golf offer, says future is on PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy has denied rumors that he is close to accepting an offer with LIV Golf.

Speaking to Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis at the PGA Tour ’s RBC Heritage event Tuesday, McIlroy shut down a report from London-based newspaper City A.M. saying that he would receive a staggering $850 million contract and two percent equity in LIV in order to leave the PGA Tour.

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McIlroy said he intends to play on the PGA Tour for the rest of his career.

“I honestly don’t know how these things get started,” McIlroy said. “I’ve never been offered a number from LIV, and I’ve never contemplated going to LIV. Again, I think I’ve made it clear over the past two years that I don’t think it’s something for me. That doesn’t mean I judge people that have went to play over there. I think one of the things that I’ve realized over the past two years is people can make their own decisions for whatever they think is best for themselves.

“Who are we to judge them for that? But personally, for me, my future is here on the PGA Tour, and it’s never been any different.”

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Since the onset of the divide in men’s professional golf, McIlroy has served as the PGA Tour’s de facto spokesperson, repeatedly pledging his loyalty. When the June 6 framework agreement between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian PIF was first announced, McIlroy told the media the deal made him feel like a “sacrificial lamb,” and he “still hates” LIV Golf. He later left the PGA Tour policy board .

McIlroy’s stance on the sport’s division has been evolving. Recently, the 24-time PGA Tour winner has been calling for the unification of the game on a global stage. As negotiations continue to stall behind closed doors, McIlroy has said the current state of the game is “not sustainable” and that the two parties must move forward with a finalized deal.

Recent major champions Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Cam Smith and Bryson DeChambeau are all members of the Saudi-backed circuit.

“No idea,” McIlroy said of the report’s origins. “Over the last two years, there’s been so many rumors of guys, and I think the one thing I’ve realized as well is guys need to keep an open mind. I’m sure there’s been players that are still on the PGA Tour that have talked to the guys from LIV and had offers, and whatever.

“Yeah, I have no idea. It’s never even been a conversation for us. It’s one of the things — it’s unfortunate that we have to deal with it. This is the state that our game is in. But I’m obviously here today, and I’m playing the PGA Tour event next week, and I’ll play the PGA Tour for the rest of my career.”

McIlroy will tee it up at Harbour Town Golf Links on Thursday. He is coming off a T22 finish at Augusta National.

Required reading

• LIV Golf ‘exposed flaws’ within the PGA Tour, Rory McIlroy says
• Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and the awkward tension at The Players Championship
• LIV Golf is not going away. Neither are questions about its future

(Photo: Warren Little / Getty Images)

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Gabby Herzig is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering golf. Before joining The Athletic, she worked as a breaking news writer for Sports Illustrated’s golf vertical and a contributing editor at Golf Digest. She is a graduate of Pomona College, where she captained the varsity women’s golf team.

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Rory McIlroy ready for Zurich Classic of New Orleans debut: Format and key questions about PGA Tour's team event

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a team event on the PGA Tour at TPC Louisiana; Rory McIlroy makes his debut and partners Ryder Cup team-mate Shane Lowry; Watch live on Thursday from 1pm on Sky Sports Golf

Monday 22 April 2024 14:57, UK

Rory McIlroy will partner Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, live on Sky Sports, with a “drunken lunch” leading to the former world No 1 making his debut at the PGA Tour team event.

McIlroy is the highest-ranked player in action at TPC Louisiana, where the top 80 available in the PGA Tour standings getting to pick their playing partner for four days of team competition.

The Northern Irishman's appearance is his seventh start in nine weeks and fourth consecutive event, with McIlroy looking to bounce back from a slow start to the PGA Tour season and a disappointing finish to the RBC Heritage.

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McIlroy and Lowry have both been part of the last two Ryder Cup teams, playing together during one session of the 2021 defeat at Whistling Straits, while a conversation after Europe's victory in Rome last September resulted in them teaming up together this week.

"Very excited," McIlroy told Golf.com last month. "I asked him [Lowry]. We had this really drunken lunch the week after the Ryder Cup last year. I said to him, 'Do you want to play Zurich together?' We're like, 'Yeah'.

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"His former partner is now on the Champions Tour, Pádraig Harrington. I've never played before so I'm looking forward to it."

Who else is playing this week?

Ryder Cup team-mates Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele look to win the event for a second time, having claimed a two-shot victory in 2022, while Matt Fitzpatrick partners brother Alex and the Hojgaard brothers - Rasmus and Nicolai - also form to make a team.

McIlroy to make Zurich debut with Lowry

PGA Tour: Latest headlines and highlights

When are the majors? Key dates in 2024

Flashback: Hardy and Riley's 2023 victory

Europe's Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald teams up with Francesco Molinari, who served as a vice-captain in Rome and retains his role for next year's contest, with two-time major champion Collin Morikawa pairs up with Kurt Kitayama.

Former winner Billy Horschel - who won the Corales Puntacana Championship on Sunday - partners Tyson Alexander, as Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala join forces and defending champions Nick Hardy and Davis Riley return.

These Gators are ready for our swamp! ⛳ 🐊 @BillyHo_Golf , the ONLY player to claim both individual and team titles at the Zurich Classic... is BACK! ⛳ ⚜️ This year Horschel chases a third title by teaming up with Tyson Alexander, the son of his @GatorsGolf coach, the… pic.twitter.com/LfWZicRYM2 — Zurich Classic (@Zurich_Classic) April 19, 2024

How does the event work and what is the format?

The 80 two-man teams feature in fourballs during the opening round, where players each play their own ball and the best score on each hole from the pair goes towards the team total, then the format switches to foursomes play for the second round.

Foursomes sees each team use one ball, with one player hitting tee shots on all the odd-numbered holes and the other on the even-numbered ones. The players then hit alternate shots, with the total strokes taken resulting in the team's score for that hole.

The top 33 teams and ties progress to the weekend, where the teams revert to fourballs for the third round and foursomes for Sunday's final round. Should the tournament end in a tie after 72 holes, the formats will switch between the two different formats for each hole required for the sudden-death playoff.

What is the prize?

The players in the winning team will both receive a two-year winner's exemption on the PGA Tour and will be eligible for next month's PGA Championship, plus increase their hopes of qualifying for PGA Tour Signature Events.

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FedExCup points and prize money will be awarded to teams making the cut, with each team member receiving an equal share for their final position, although no world ranking points are on offer.

Each player in the winning team will earn 400 FedExCup points and a record $1,286,050 prize money, with the rest of the $8,900,000 purse awarded to teams based on combining every two positions from the distribution table for a standard PGA Tour event.

When is the tournament on Sky Sports?

Sky Sports will show over 30 hours of live action across the four tournament days, with early coverage from 1pm on Thursday and 2.15pm on Friday ahead of full coverage from 8.30pm.

Weekend coverage begins at 4pm on both days on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of the main coverage getting under way at 6pm and offering five hours of live action from each of the final two rounds.

The PGA Tour action is part of a quadruple-header of live golf to enjoy this week, with the DP World Tour's ISPS Handa Championship, the Ladies European Tour's South African Women's Open and the LPGA Tour's JM Eagle LA Championship all live on Sky Sports Golf.

Who will win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans? Watch throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins with Featured Groups on Thursday from 1pm on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from 8.30pm.

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