Rory McIlroy Reaffirms Commitment to PGA Tour: 'It's the Right Thing to Do'

Speaking at his Tuesday press conference, McIlroy said that still respects Phil Mickelson even though he's "disappointed" with his move to LIV Golf.

BROOKLINE, Mass. – Rory McIlroy was reminded Tuesday that back in February he proclaimed the fledgling LIV Golf tour “dead in the water’’ following numerous players pulling back and pledging their support for the PGA Tour.

Now two days after apparently taking great glee in winning the RBC Canadian Open for his 21st PGA Tour victory on the same weekend as LIV’s tournament debut, McIlroy acknowledged things had changed considerably.

“I guess I took a lot of players’ statements at face value,’’ said McIlroy, 33, who is now ranked third in the world and among the favorites to win the U.S. Open this week. “I guess that’s what I got wrong. You had people committed to the PGA Tour, and that’s the statements that were put out.

“People that went back on that, so I guess I took them for face value. I took them at their word, and I was wrong.’’

McIlroy has been a strong spokesman for the PGA Tour as it attempts to withstand the defections of several players who have signed on to play the LIV Golf Invitational Series, which saw its first event end Saturday with Charl Schwartzel claiming the $4 million first prize and another $775,000 for being part of the winning team.

Schwartzel is not in the field for this week’s U.S. Open, but 11 players who competed at the event outside of London are at The Country Club, where the 122nd U.S. Open begins Thursday.

Among them are Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, who of the prominent players who pledged their allegiance to the PGA Tour in February in the aftermath of Phil Mickelson’s comments about the PGA Tour seemingly derailed the new venture.

Johnson, 37, a two-time major winner, became the most prominent player to jump to LIV Golf just two weeks ago and was joined by DeChambeau, 28, who will compete in his first LIV event in two weeks.

While attention turns to the third major championship of the year, LIV Golf lives on. The new venture has been and will continue to be disruptive.

McIlroy again planted his flag with the PGA Tour.

“Because in my opinion it's the right thing to do. The PGA Tour was created by people and tour players that came before us, the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer. They created something and worked hard for something, and I hate to see all the players that came before us and all the hard work that they've put in just come out to be nothing.

“I think one of the other things as well is the PGA Tour has certainly given me a lot of opportunities, and I've benefited a lot from that, but I think what they've done for charity. They've raised — if you put all the other major sporting organizations in this country — so NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, if you put all their charitable dollars combined, the PGA Tour has raised twice as much as that in their history.

“That is a massive legacy and something that I don't think people talk enough about, so when you are talking about the Tour and everything that's happening right now, you have to see the bigger picture than just the golf, and I think I've tried to take a wider view of everything, and I just think it's the right thing to do.’’

To that end, McIlroy noted the history at The Country Club, where just three previous U.S. Opens have been played, the first in 1913 and won by Francis Ouimet, who beat the two English stars of the day, Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, in a playoff.

That victory is often credited with helping to popularize golf in the United States.

McIlroy is one of the betting favorites this week at Brookline / USA Today

“This course and the history of Francis Ouimet, 1913. Again, that's what's so good about golf is the history and the tradition and these stories,’’ he said. “The fact that he grew up just off the 17th hole here, and we're still talking about it to this day over 100 years on. That's so cool. That's the great thing about this sport.

“It’s great to be back to a venue where there is so much history.’’

McIlroy acknowledged the history made by Mickelson last year at the PGA Championship by winning his sixth major and becoming the oldest major champion at age 50. Mickelson has taken a majority of the heat for the LIV Golf departures, and did so again Monday during a U.S. Open news conference. McIlroy was asked if he lost respect for Mickelson.

“As a golfer? No. I think his — he won a major championship 13 months ago, probably one of the crowning achievements of his career and one of the most impressive achievements in the history of the game of golf. As a golfer, I have the utmost respect for Phil.

“I've been disappointed with how he has went about what he has done, but I think he has come back and shown some remorse about how he has handled some things so I think he has learned from that. Who am I to sit up here and give Phil a lesson on how to do things? He has had a wonderful career. He is his own man. He is a great addition to the field this week.

“Am I disappointed he has taken the route that he has taken? I am, but I still respect him tremendously.’’

More U.S. Open Coverage From Morning Read:

> LIV Golf Questions? Brooks Koepka Is Not Here for It
> Jon Rahm Is Concerned About Ryder Cup Ramifications from LIV Golf
> Latest Betting Odds, Favorites and Sleeper Picks for The Country Club
> The Harder the Better for Xander Schauffele, and Hopefully This Week Is His Best
> The Best U.S. Open Bet is a Rising Star Whose Odds Are 28-1 This Week
> Boston’s Other Green Monster
> Listen: NBC’s Dan Hicks on Brookline, His Favorite U.S. Open and Ryder Cup Moments

Click here to get all Morning Read news in your inbox free every morning.