GOLF
Rory McIlroy: I was too judgmental – LIV Golf can be the sport’s IPL
Northern Irishman says he made a mistake in criticising early defectors to Saudi-backed series and believes it could have a place in golf’s existing ecosystem
McIlroy said that Rahm, left, had made a “smart business move” in joining LIV
GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES
Another golf year creaks into subdued action in Hawaii this week. The glacial pace of the peace process means the PGA Tour is now in talks to extend negotiations with Saudi Arabia rather than finalise them, but Rory McIlroy can see a happier future. It involves LIV Golf becoming the equivalent of cricket’s Indian Premier League and Jon Rahm returning to the PGA Tour.
McIlroy has never concealed his loathing of LIV Golf, but he is shrewd enough to accept the landscape changed in 2023. So he called Rahm “smart” and “opportunistic” for moving to LIV last month, and conceded the Saudis had exposed flaws in the PGA Tour system and caused sponsors to quit.
The old McIlroy brio that pronounced the LIV project “dead
