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Rory McIlroy recently acknowledged the growth of YouTube golf. The four-time major champion stated that the PGA Tour has been ‘diminished’ by the online content. The Northern Irishman opined that the YouTubers’ content is the “golf entertainment adjacent.” He lauded YouTube golfers by stating that they “found a niche” and dubbed it ‘cool.’
However, McIlroy wasn’t all praise for the content. The 35-year-old stated that he would choose to watch “real golfers play real tournaments.” He went on to add that ‘there is space’ for YouTube golf but opined that the ‘golf consumer’ might get ‘fatigued’ by the volume of content available.
Replying to a media query about YouTube golf’s impact on pro golf, Rory McIlroy said, as quoted by NUCLR Golf:
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“You know, I think it (PGA Tour) already has been diminished… YouTube is like golf entertainment adjacent, whatever. Those guys are killing it. They found a niche and it's really cool and it serves a purpose for a lot of people.
But look, I would much rather sit down and watch real golfers play real tournaments and that's just my opinion. That to me is more entertaining… But I understand that other people want something different and that's totally fine as well. I think there's space for all of this. Yeah, I can see when the golf consumer might get a little fatigued of everything that's sort of available to them.”
McIlroy concluded his comments by suggesting it may be time for the PGA Tour to scale back the number of tournaments played. The ace golfer used NFL as an example to advocate for a limited schedule and stated that “a little more scarcity mightn't be a bad thing.”
Rory McIlroy on cutting down his playing schedule
This isn’t the first time Rory McIlroy has complained about the increased number of golf events in his schedule. Earlier in November, the Northern Irishman publicly admitted to wanting to cut down the number of events. The 35-year-old emphasized on his age and stated that he wasn’t “getting any younger.”
It is pertinent to note that he followed up on his comment and has already sat out a few events before arriving at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am to start his 2025 PGA Tour campaign.
Rory McIlroy said in November 2024, in an interview with The Telegraph:
“There’s a few tournaments that I played this year that I don’t usually play and that I might not play next year. Like, I played the Cognizant (Classic) in Palm Beach Gardens, (Texas Open in) San Antonio and the (RBC Heritage in) Hilton Head…
Hey, I’m 35 and have been out here for 17, 18 years, so I’m just going to go to the places that I enjoy and where I play well. Look I’ve done the hard slog, I’ve done that sort of 25 to 30 events a year. And I’m not getting any younger.”
Rory McIlroy also suggested that he may sit out the first play-off event in Memphis in 2025. The four-time major champion finished tied for 68 in the 70-man field last year. Interestingly, he’d also taken a brief hiatus from the sport earlier in 2024 after a dramatic loss to LIV Golf rival Bryson DeChambeau at the US Open Championship.
