Rory McIlroy has described Joe Rahm’s move to LIV as a “smart business move”.
Rory McIlroy has described Joe Rahm’s move to LIV as a “smart business move”.
Rory McIlroy has backed himself into a corner by staunchly opposing the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League, and now the game’s premier tournament is seeking a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Sovereign Investment Fund. We change direction as we make it happen.
Speaking on Sky’s ‘Football Stick to Football’ podcast alongside former football stars Gary Neville, Ian Wright, Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher, the former world number one admits LIV Golf has now been ‘legalised’ under a framework agreement between the PGA Tour. DP World Tour and PIF on June 6. He cited this date as key to Jon Rahm’s decision to make a U-turn and sign with LIV for a large upfront fee, describing it as a “smart business move.”
He now “recognizes that LIV is part of the gulf” and admits he has been overly critical of those who have boarded the boat in the past. “At this point, I think I would have been a bit critical of the people who went to LIV Golf. And I think that’s a little mistake on my part. Because now I realize that not everyone in my position is the same. Or maybe it’s Tiger Woods’ stance,” he said.
“We all play professionally for the sport we play and I think we’ve realized that over the last few years. “I can’t judge the people who make those decisions, so if I regret it, I’m probably being too judgmental.”
“I can’t say we’ve lost the fight against LIV, but we’ve accepted that it’s part of our sport now,” he added.
“I don’t know what the filing fee is, but I saw a story that Jon Rahm got $400 million,” he said. “I never received an offer from LIV Golf. I didn’t like them when they came to me and I think I put up a stall at that point.
With a deal likely to happen in 2024, he must recognize that LIV is part of the future of golf and point to the Indian Premier League cricket as a role model.
When Rahm moved to LIV, he said, “Jon Rahm doesn’t want to go as far as the first guys. John is a smart guy and I think at some point things will work out for him, so he says, “Make your money.” Next, this is his strong. point, if things go well, he’ll play at LIV for a year, then come back and tour and play golf on the team. “I thought it was a smart business move on John’s part. It was an opportunistic one. I think he sees things turning around and is in a happy place. “He doesn’t want to do it because he didn’t want to be dangerous, but if he wants, he thinks it’s a good decision for his family. I mean something else now.”
I hope the game will be a solution for each other. “People now visit their emotions and self and we will all go to each other and we all want a golf.
Metro instructs him to add hundreds of millions of dollars and his career to add a big name to his CV.
He defends his career, admits that it is a mental game and admits that it is the heart of his heart. “Sometimes I do things I wouldn’t normally do because of the pressure and the pressure, and I’m completely honest about that,” he said. “I think I have to accept it rather than shut myself down. “Every time you go back, you learn something different. I’ve already had the opportunity at Augusta and I take advantage of that opportunity a little bit every year and work towards next year. After 14 or 15 years, I think it’s time to do it.
He said he will play “a little bit” this year because he is often not at his best in April. “When I went over the stats with my team last week, I noticed a trend over the last few years that the best golf is in May, June, July and August,” he said.
“It would be great to get it in April when the Masters starts. Playing a little more and being sharp will help, so I’ll try to play a few more tournaments before Augusta.”
