4 key points to note from Rory McIlroy’s recent comments on the PGA X LIV merger

Rory McIlroy said he would prefer to retire rather than play on the LIV Golf circuit. The statement came after the US Senate hearing on the framework deal between the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) and the PGA Tour.

Although McIlroy physically distanced himself from the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee hearing that took place on Tuesday, July 11, he was one of the main highlights of the day.

It was revealed that McIlroy had met the LIV representatives separately. It was also disclosed that the PIF had proposed that he and Tiger Woods co-own a team in the breakaway league and play at least 10 events in rival circuits.

Over the past month, McIlroy has made several statements regarding the LIV-PGA saga. Here's a look at four significant points observed from Rory McIlroy’s recent comments on the PGA-LIV merger.

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Four significant points to note from Rory McIlroy’s recent comments on the PGA-LIV merger

1) McIlroy was okay with staying away from the Senate hearing

Rory McIlroy has been the face of the PGA Tour over the past year. Whenever there was any stand to be taken against the LIV Golf, he was the first one to speak. However, this time, when the hearing was taking place in Washington, DC, he decided not to get involved in it.

As per the former World No. 1 golfer, there wasn't any new information for him there, so he was okay with distancing himself from it.

Rory was quoted as saying via the Guardian:

"As I said, I’ve almost been too close the last year and a bit. So nice to be able to try to distance myself a bit."

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2) Prefer to retire over joining LIV Golf

McIlroy was asked after his Thursday round at the Scottish Open about PIF's proposal. The four-time major champion said he would choose retirement over playing on LIV Golf.

He said:

“If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on earth I would retire. That’s how I feel about it."

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3) Still backing Jay Monahan amid trust issues

The details revealed during the hearing on Tuesday received a mixed response from the PGA Tour professionals. Names like Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele raised questions about Jay Monahan's recent actions while keeping the players in the dark. Schauffele went on to say that his trust in the PGA Tour Commissioner had gone down after recent revelations.

Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, had all the information, and he said he was still backing the PGA Tour commissioner.

McIlroy said, as per the Mirror:

"I sort of knew what was going on, so I wasn't quite as in the dark as some of the other guys, but yeah, people felt blindsided by it, and I can obviously understand why Jordan and Xander and a lot of other guys would feel that way."

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4) No change in stance against the LIV despite the PGA-PIF merger

Last month, when the deal was announced between the PIF and PGA, it came as a shock to many, including the players. Rory McIlroy was asked about the announced deal during the RBC Canadian Open.

He said:

"I still hate LIV. Like, I hate LIV. Like, I hope it goes away. And I would fully expect that it does. And I think that's where the distinction here is. This is the PGA TOUR, the DP World Tour and the PIF. Very different from LIV."

He added:

"You're thinking about one of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world, would you rather have them as a partner or an enemy?"

The World No. 3 golfer said he still hated the LIV, but PIF was going to spend more money in the game, and in the end, money talked.