After Two Years in the Middle of Golf’s Political War, Rory McIlroy Is Stepping Back

McIlroy was the face of the PGA Tour in its fight, then truce, with LIV Golf, and Alex Miceli says that he can now focus on ending his major-championship drought.

Why is Rory McIlroy giving up his ability to shape the future of professional golf?

It’s a question without a clear answer, but it might speak volumes about where the PGA Tour’s discussions with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and some five other potential investors currently reside.

McIlroy will turn 35 next May, just before the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla, and depending on what happens at the Masters in April, the Ulsterman could be looking at a major-championship drought of 10 years. His last major title was the ’14 PGA at Valhalla.

Since 1986, when a 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus won the Masters, the average age of the winner at Augusta is 32, with only a dozen winners 35 or older.

It’s doubtful that McIlroy sat down and did the math when he decided to resign his PGA Tour policy board seat Tuesday, but the four-time major-winner knows he isn’t getting any younger, and the window that seemed wide open in Louisville in 2014 has closed considerably.

Rory McIlroy has been the player face of the PGA Tour during a tumultuous time in the pro game.  :: Jamie Sabau/USA TODAY Sports

Since the LIV Golf–vs.–PGA Tour battle ensued, McIlroy has been one of the loudest supporters of PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour.

McIlroy has arguably been the face of the fight against the Saudi insurgency early on, and he was a voice of reason just last week when he said he would like to see the PIF–PGA Tour deal happen.

But at some point during 2023, McIlroy realized the constant discussion about LIV and the PIF was just exhausting, and he needed to pull back from the discussion.

Since the middle of the year, after the June 6 announcement in which McIlroy had little involvement, he has backed away from the LIV discussion in large part.

But he still has strong feelings.

“I feel like we’ve got a fractured competitive landscape right now and I would prefer if everyone sort of got back into the same boat,” McIlroy said Nov. 6 on CNBC. “I think that’s the best thing for golf. So, you know, I would hope when we go through this, this process, you know, PIF are the ones that are involved in the framework agreement. Obviously, there’s been other suitors that have been involved and offering their services under 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.”

Those sentiments are a far cry from the McIlroy who would seethe when the PIF or LIV Golf was mentioned, or when he was asked a question about the league.

Is it a mellowing or an understanding that the die is now cast?

McIlroy was on a lengthy PGA Tour Policy Board call early in the week and Tuesday told the assembled media in Dubai—where the DP World Tour finale is being played—that the deal is on track.

“I think if you were in the middle of it, you would see that there’s a path forward; it’s just that no one on the outside has any details,” he said. “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.”

Then McIlroy resigned his board seat.

What changed, if anything, from the McIlroy who saw a path forward, to the McIlroy who no longer wants to be part of the process? It remains unclear.

It may speak to the fact that the process of finding partners is going in a way he favors. Or not.

It could be that McIlroy just wants to be a golfer again.