LIV Golf: Rory McIlroy says players returning to PGA Tour should not be punished

LIV Golf: Rory McIlroy says players returning to PGA Tour should not be penalized.

Rory McIlroy has “changed his position” at LIV Golf and believes players should not be penalized if they return to the PGA Tour.

The four-time champion has been one of the fiercest critics of the Saudi-backed LIV series. He said players who join LIV Golf will not be allowed to join other tournaments in 2022.

“Life is made of choices. The boys decided to play LIV. “They decided to stay here,” he said. The Northern Irishman said on Tuesday: “It’s hard to punish people. I don’t think he needs to be punished. “If people are still fit for this tournament and want to come back and play or see something, let them come back.

“I changed my mind because I don’t know where golf is and I see the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour going down, or something bad happening for both sides.”

Tyrrell Hutton, McIlroy’s Ryder Cup-winning teammate, is the latest top player to sign with LIV Golf and is set to make his debut at the season-opening event in Mexico this week. The British deal with LIV more than doubles the 32-year-old Hutton’s career earnings on the PGA Tour.

“I had a long chat with Tyrrell on Sunday and I totally understand where he’s coming from,” McIlroy said. “They negotiated and got to a point where he had to do what he was comfortable with and thought was right for him. Money that changed his life.”

In early January, McIlroy said he would be willing to play in LIV Golf-sponsored tournaments if the tour controversially changed to a more relaxed stance, which LIV CEO Greg Norman said would be a “major turning point” for the sport. It is. Talks about a possible merger between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which finances LIV Golf, will continue in 2024 after failing to reach an agreeme