Rory McIlroy ‘falling on his sword’ could be turning point: LIV’s Greg Norman

MAUI – Rory McIlroy’s softened stance on the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit could be a turning point in the acrimonious rivalry between the upstart series and the PGA Tour.

LIV chief executive officer Greg Norman said he appreciated the Northern Irishman “falling on his sword” while the series’ star Phil Mickelson said it is time to “let go” of hostilities between the rival camps.

McIlroy has been one of the most vocal critics of LIV since the breakaway tour launched in 2022 and signed up a host of big names, causing a rift that threatened to tear golf apart.

The four-time Major champion previously accused some of those who jumped ship as being duplicitous and that he would rather retire than join LIV.

However, just weeks after his Ryder Cup teammate two-time Major winner Jon Rahm switched allegiances to LIV in December for a contract reportedly in excess of US$300 million (S$399 million), McIlroy said on the Stick To Football podcast that he regretted being too quick to judge those who had made the switch.

Norman said on LIV’s Fairway To Heaven podcast on Jan 4: “The reason I say I appreciate Rory falling on his sword, to some degree, is the fact that he did judge us by not knowing the facts.

“He judged us on other people’s thoughts and opinions. So, I say, ‘hey, thank you Rory’. We all knew it was going to work within the golf ecosystem.

“We all wanted to be there, we are going to be there – he said that. To me, this is a hugely significant turning point for everybody.”

Mickelson also welcomed McIlroy’s attitude, highlighting his statement that LIV had “exposed some of the flaws in the structures of professional golf”.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the American said: “This quote and the many others made... by Rory probably weren’t easy to say.

“Let’s not use this as an opportunity to pile on. Rather, it’s time for me and others to let go of our hostilities and work towards a positive future.”

Mickelson was one of the first players to switch from the PGA Tour to LIV in 2022 and has been one of the most prominent backers of the new series.

Northern Irishman McIlroy was in many ways his opposite number as a staunch defender of the PGA Tour.

But with golf’s tours in talks over a framework agreement merging the PGA Tour, Europe’s DP World Tour and LIV’s financial backers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, McIlroy has struck a different tone.

While the entities were unable to finalise a definitive partnership agreement by the Dec 31 deadline, the PGA Tour wants to extend negotiations into 2024, leaving the tours to begin their own seasons respectively.

The PGA Tour’s season opened at The Sentry on Jan 4 in Maui, Hawaii, with Sahith Theegala taking sole possession of the first-round lead ahead of a star-studded pack with a 10-birdie spree.

He shot a nine-under 64 to move in front of another American Collin Morikawa, Colombia’s Camilo Villegas, Jason Day of Australia, South Korean Im Sung-jae and Norway’s Viktor Hovland at the Plantation Course in Kapalua.

Theegala, 26, who also carded a lone bogey, earned his first tour victory last September at the Fortinet Championship.

Even more stars are lurking two shots back at 66: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, his fellow Americans Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele plus Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo.

The PGA Tour has moved back to a season contained within the same calendar year, leaving behind its former “wrap-around” schedule that started in the fall and proceeded through the next summer. REUTERS, AFP