“It neutralizes the threat of LIV” - Rory Mcllroy embraces advocating a pathway with PIF to safeguard the future of Golf

Rory Mcllroy has been the biggest and loudest detractor of LIV Golf since its inception. He has rarely shied away from talking about it, calling out the league, its leadership, and the players who left for it. There's no mistaking the Irish golfer's feelings towards the rebel tour, and they're not good.

Even when the merger was announced, he made sure to say that he was still not a fan and that the merger was technically with PIF and not LIV. He also said he still wants LIV Golf to go away.

What he's saying now is decidedly less harsh than his previous stances. He said via the Golf Weekly podcast:

“If this is what’s happening, the way I’ve sort of framed is the world has decided for me in a way… I’ve met the guys involved in PIF. I’ve sat with Yasir, I’ve talked to him."

He added:

"I’ve lived in Dubai, the people there are some of my closest friends, have the same beliefs as some of these people we are criticizing… if we provide them a pathway where they’re not taking over the sport, it neutralizes the threat of LIV becoming something it hopefully shouldn’t become.”

Rory Mcllroy seems to be admitting that he was concerned that LIV was growing too big. The league did land some top talent off of the PGA Tour, such as Brooks Koepka (who won a major this year), Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, and Phil Mickelson.

With every passing day, other players considered or did defect to LIV. Slowly, they were poaching talent off of the PGA, and that wasn't good for the sport in McIlroy's eyes.

Now that the merger is likely going forward, McIlroy has resigned himself to the fact that there's nothing he can do about it. LIV is probably not going anywhere. He's accepting that and admitting that the future of golf can have both leagues, so long as LIV doesn't get out of control.

There's one caveat in McIlroy's ideal scenario: he no longer believes that LIV Golf has to dissolve to save the sport, which appears to be a sharp turn from older comments.

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What did Rory Mcllroy say about the merger?

The PGA Tour x LIV Golf merger was not popular with a lot of PGA stars. That includes the world number two golfer, who mentioned that he still despised the league when it happened:

"I still hate LIV - I hope it goes away and fully expect that it does. This is the DP - PGA TOUR and PIF.”

Rory Mcllroy is not wrong, and even then, he had started to accept that the merger was the new reality. No longer would these two tours be rivals:

“I’ve come to terms with it. I’ve seen what’s happened in other sports and other businesses. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that this is what’s gonna happen.”

Now, a few months later, Rory Mcllroy is even more accepting of his circumstances.