Rory McIlroy's former agent says the European Tour's player drain to PGA Tour is a 'shame'

Rory McIlroy's former agent, Chubby Chandler, recently criticized the DP World Tour's decision to allow their top-10 players in the season-ending Race to Dubai list to earn PGA Tour cards. Under the new partnership between the European Tour and PGA Tour, the top 10 players in the Race to Dubai who are not already exempt will receive PGA Tour cards for the following season. Chandler views this as a "shame for the European Tour" for giving away their best players.

In a recent interview with Flushing it Golf, Chandler discussed the changes on the Tour. Currently a member of JCB Country Club, the venue for this week’s LIV Golf event, Chandler was asked why this venue was chosen for the Saudi Circuit event.

He praised LIV Golf and noted that it features more "household names" than typical DP World Tour events. Chandler also criticized the European Tour for giving away their players. He said (via Flushing It Golf on X):

"This is a step up from the Seniors event we did for two years and where were we gonna go from there? There was nowhere. You know what I mean. You’re not gonna have the BMW, that’s always at Wentworth. You’re not gonna have the Scottish Open, because this isn’t Scotland. You could have the British Masters, well, against this??

"The shame for the European Tour, is they give ten of their top players away every year and you end up with a circulation of players and it means none of them become household names. There’s about twenty household names here," he added.

It is important to note that several of the DP World Tour players, including Richard Bland, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Sergio Garcia, joined LIV Golf. They are playing at the ongoing LIV Golf UK event at the JCB Country Club this week.

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Colin Montgomerie echoes Rory McIlroy’s former agent on European Tour

Chubby Chandler is not the only one unhappy with the European Tour's decision to allow players to defect. Veteran European Tour player Colin Montgomerie shares the same concerns.

Last month, in an interview with Golf Magic, Montgomerie admitted that he was "quite depressed" about the European Tour. He spoke about the DP World Tour's decision to let their top-10 players compete on the PGA Tour.

He said (via Golf Magic):

"[In] any business [if] you give away your top 10? Top 10 in your business every year is going to be weaker, isn't it? So [it's] great for the PGA Tour; I can't believe they accepted it, to be honest, because they're taking spots away from Americans, but good on them to get them. Unfortunately, Europe, Europe has suffered, and the European Tour will suffer because of it."

Notably, Colin Montgomerie has been highly successful on the European Tour, with 31 event wins, making him the fourth-highest in the tour's history.