SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� Now that and the sport has pulled itself out of what once felt like a day-to-day crisis cycle, Rory McIlroy sees the future 鈥� and the past 鈥� a little differently.
鈥淵ou start to realize that the way the tour was before LIV came along was actually pretty good,鈥� McIlroy said Tuesday, as he prepared for the .
The six-time major champion, once seen as the frontline defender of the PGA Tour when it was fighting to rebuild itself in the wake of the LIV startup, is now waiting to see what the tour does next.
He recognizes that LIV’s injection of billions into the sport 鈥渃reated a false economy鈥� that forced the tour to respond. Though it has made the rich richer with the creation of 鈥渟ignature” events with $20 million purses, McIlroy isn’t so sure that 鈥� or whatever comes next 鈥� is better than what came before it.
One potential casualty of the shift: events like last week鈥檚 Canadian Open 鈥� a tournament with a national title on the line that McIlroy has won twice in the past seven years but skipped this year. It has been relegated to second-class status on the current schedule and could fall even further if it ends up part of what is being called 鈥淭rack 2鈥� in the tour’s next model, expected to kick off in 2028.
Last week鈥檚 , featured four players in the top 10.
鈥淭rack 2 is a glorified Korn Ferry event,鈥� McIlroy said of what essentially is the tour’s current minor league. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what Track 2 is going to be. So I don鈥檛 think the Canadian Open should be one of those.鈥�
Anything McIlroy says carries more weight, in part because of his resume and in part because when LIV started up, he was its biggest critic among the players.
As time passed, McIlroy grew weary of being a frontman and eventually settled into the idea that, while he preferred the PGA Tour and its connection to tradition and history, others made their decisions and that didn’t mean they couldn’t get along.
Now, LIV is looking for funding after the of the investment. The PGA Tour: still revamping.
Next week, the tour will unveil more details about . It is expected to increase fields to up to 130 players (from around 72) and restore the 36-hole cut in so-called Track 1 events.
The lesser events would be mostly for players to work their way into the top. It makes the futures for those events less certain, in part because sponsors won’t pay as much to put their names on tournaments where they know the top players will be absent.
鈥淚 just think there鈥檚 going to be certain events that might lose their stature if a sponsor doesn鈥檛 pony up $30 million,鈥� McIlroy said. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 the tough thing.鈥�
A return to New York under different circumstances than the Ryder Cup
The trip to Shinnecock Hills on Long Island marks McIlroy’s first tournament in the New York area since last year’s Ryder Cup, where his with fans marked a low point in that event’s long history.
There is, of course, an that doesn’t exist in week-to-week golf, where McIlroy plays most of his rounds in front of appreciative galleries.
There was one moment at the PGA Championship last month outside of Philadelphia where a fan shouted 鈥淯-S-A!鈥� after McIlroy hit a bad shot; at the fan, but nothing more came from the episode.
Now, he’s back in New York 鈥� ready for whatever the golf course, and the gallery, throws at him.
鈥淲as it a rough week for me at times? Absolutely,鈥� he said of the Ryder Cup. 鈥淏ut it is what it is. If that鈥檚 a price to pay to live the life that I鈥檓 living, then I鈥檓 OK with that.鈥�
Return to the past isn’t possible; McIlroy lives the good life either way
Now 37 and one of only six players to capture the , McIlroy is one of those rare players who had it good both before and after LIV came along and disrupted the game.
He said he is not a decision-maker and, regardless of what the tour rolls out for 2028 and beyond, 鈥淚鈥檒l continue to play my schedule, which is getting less and less as the years go on.鈥�
He said the tour had to adapt to retain talent when LIV came along and grabbed Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka, a five-time major champion who has since returned to the PGA Tour.
Now, their futures are in flux and McIlroy views the tour he never left in a different light.
鈥淣ow that LIV looks like it鈥檚 less of a threat,” he said, 鈥淚 think the old ways of the PGA Tour weren鈥檛 actually that bad.鈥�
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