"He put himself on the front line” - Alan Shipnuck claims Rory McIlroy was ‘heartbroken’ by PGA Tour and LIV merger

According to acclaimed journalist Alan Shipnuck, Rory McIlroy was heartbroken upon hearing the announcement of the controversial merger between the PGA Tour and PIF earlier this year.

In June this year, the PGA Tour made the shocking announcement of signing a deal with the Saudi-backed fund to form a new entity. This came as a surprise to everyone, including the golfers, given the bitter remarks made by both parties throughout the year.

Another shock was that none of the players knew about it except for Rory McIlroy, who was the face of the PGA Tour's fight against LIV Golf and had faced many personal attacks from LIV loyalists.

In his new book, LIV and Let Die, Shipnuck wrote about how the PGA Tour loyalists respected the Northern Irish golfer for his support of the Tour.

Shipnuck was quoted as saying, via the Belfast Telegraph:

"He put himself on the front line, but on the LIV side there is a lot of bitterness because Rory made it intensely personal. He became kind of a leading troll and took a lot of shots at individuals.

Shipnuck, who previously worked for Sports Illustrated and Golf Magazine, noted that there were two contrasting views of Rory. One group respected his outspoken stance against the rival golfer, but his idealistic nature left him disappointed with the PGA Tour's decisions.

Shipnuck added:

"Then the money guys came in — Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy (PGA Tour directors) — and they completely sold him out and kind of broke his heart. Rory learnt a hard lesson about the real world. Idealism only goes so far and money always wins."

McIlroy has had a longtime friendship with Dunne, and as per Phil Mickelson's biographer, he was the main guy behind the PGA-PIF deal framework.

"That was all Jimmy Dunne and yet it was also Jimmy Dunne, in secret, who cold-bloodedly crushed Rory's hopes and dreams with this (framework) deal," Shipnuck added.

McIlroy himself didn't defend the Saudi-backed circuit after the merger announcement. He maintained that he still hated LIV and would prefer to retire rather than join the breakaway league. However, he added that it was impossible to ignore PIF with the amount of money they were bringing into the game.

"I still hate LIV. Like, I hate LIV. Like, I hope it goes away," said McIlroy during the RBC Canadian Open. "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."

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How did the 2022–23 season go for Rory McIlroy? Golfer's results explored:

Here's a look at Rory McIlroy's results on the PGA Tour during the 2022–23 season:

• The CJ CUP in South Carolina: 1
• WM Phoenix Open: T32
• The Genesis Invitational: T29
• Arnold Palmer Invitational: T2
• THE PLAYERS Championship: CUT
• World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play: 3
• Masters Tournament: CUT
• Wells Fargo Championship: T47
• PGA Championship: T7
• The Memorial Tournament: T7
• RBC Canadian Open: T9
• U.S. Open: 2
• Travelers Championship: T7
• Genesis Scottish Open: 1
• The Open Championship: T6
• FedEx St. Jude Championship: T3
• BMW Championship: 4
• TOUR Championship: 4
• Ryder Cup: 1