Rory McIlroy’s One-Word Answer About LIV Golf Showed He's Tired of the Drama

McIlroy spoke from Oak Hill ahead of the PGA Championship, and his responses to LIV questions were succinct.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Since the inception of LIV Golf, Rory McIlroy has served as somewhat of a de facto spokesperson for the PGA Tour during the constant turmoil. 

But after a disappointing missed cut at the Masters, an extremely costly WD from the RBC Heritage and a recent T47 finish at Quail Hollow, McIlroy seems to be choosing his words a bit differently coming into PGA Championship week. 

In his pre-tournament press conference at Oak Hill, McIlroy was asked to look back on the first LIV Golf event, which happened almost exactly a year ago, and in turn, “look through a crystal ball” to predict what professional golf might look like three years from now. 

The four-time major champion did not budge with his short, yet cheeky answer. 

“I don’t have a crystal ball,” he said. 

To a follow-up asking if he cared to speculate on the future of the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf battle, McIlroy simply responded, “No.”

Later in the press conference, McIlroy’s succinct answers were brought back into the conversation, when one reporter wondered if he’d be consciously avoiding discussion of the topic going forward. His answer was again telling. 

“Yes,” McIlroy said. 

At the Wells Fargo Championship, McIlroy partly revealed the reasoning for his withdrawal from the RBC, a designated event on the PGA Tour. The WD would cost him $3 million of his Player Impact Program bonus, but that didn’t matter to McIlroy. His mind simply wasn’t in it. 

“I needed to be home,” McIlroy said. 

"We certainly have our minimums, we obviously signed up for this designated-event series this year," he continued. “I obviously knew the consequences that could come with missing one of those. It was an easy decision, but I felt like if that fine or whatever is to happen was worth that for me in order to get some things in place."

Now, it appears that McIlroy’s firm stance on not discussing LIV Golf is related to his recent break. 

Jon Rahm, who spoke after McIlroy, noted that he’s largely stayed out of the PGA Tour vs. LIV conversation. But if he had been an active participant, it probably would have taken a toll on his golf.  

“Over a year, yeah, I think it could take some energy out of you,” he said.