Rory Mcllroy expressed concern for the health of the game of golf as the split between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf continued.
In an interview with Golf Week, Mcllroy viewed the situation as unsustainable and described things as not benefiting anyone while explaining how unfortunate it is that the best golfers play on separate tours for a good portion of the year.
“There needs to be a correction. I think what’s happening is not sustainable right now, so something needs to happen to try to bring it all back together so we can all move forward so we don’t have this division that’s sort of ongoing,” McIlroy told the outlet, per Reuters. “They keep going down those different paths and I just don’t see how that benefits anyone in the long run. … I think [it’s] a shame for the overall game of golf.”
Merger talks between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have been ongoing, but there have been little in any substantive updates from either side regarding those plans.
The PGA Tour did secure a $3 billion investment deal with Strategic Sports Group (SSG), a consortium of U.S sports team owners, which includes Mets owner Steve Cohen, in January.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan told reporters last month that the PGA Tour would be willing to move forward with just SSG if the LIV deal isn’t able to be figured out.
And any hope of getting something secured between the two sides still seems far off to Mcllroy.
”We’re probably still quite a long ways from it, but I would hope that in the future that we can get there, unify the game and get the best players back together again,” he said.
Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley didn’t sound too optimistic about a merger deal getting done quickly either, he said during an interview on RTE Radio 1.
“Don’t hold your breath,” he said during the interview, according to The Daily Mirror. “I think both parties are still wide away from each other in terms of where the common ground is.”