Rory McIlroy’s telling £4.5bn message to LIV Golf says everything | Golf | Sport
Rory McIlroy has cast doubts that the divide in golf can be mended, as the “irrational” spending of the LIV series has created a significant chasm in the sport. There were hopes that the bitter split, which occurred when the Saudi breakaway league enticed many top stars with lucrative contracts in 2021, could be healed through a proposed merger.
However, over two and a half years since this was suggested, there seems to be no progress towards a resolution. McIlroy shared his thoughts at CNBC’s CEO Council Forum, saying: “You see some of these other sports that have been fractured for so long. You look at boxing for example, or you look at what’s happened in motor racing in the United States with Indy and NASCAR and everything else, I think for golf in general it would be better if there was unification.
“But I just think with what’s happened over the last few years, it’s just going to be very difficult to be able to do that. As someone who supports the traditional structure of men’s professional golf, we have to realise we were trying to deal with people that were acting, in some ways, irrationally, just in terms of the capital they were allocating and the money they were spending.
“It’s been four or five years and there hasn’t been a return yet but they’re going to have to keep spending that money to even just maintain what they have right now. A lot of these guys’ contracts are up.
“They’re going to ask for the same number or an even bigger number. LIV have spent five or six billion US dollars (£3.7billion / £4.5bn) and they’re going to have to spend another five or six just to maintain where they are. I’m way more comfortable being on the PGA Tour side than on their side but who knows what’ll happen?”
LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau also concedes that the two parties are currently at a significant distance. He told Fox News Digital: “I wish something major would happen but I don’t think it’s going to in the immediate future.
“I think there are too many wants on both sides and not enough gives on the other. We’re just too far apart on a lot of things. It’s going to take some time, but ultimately, I do think the game of golf will grow internationally.”
