DUBAI – Rory McIlroy has never been shy to share his vision for golf, and European football’s top-tier club competition has served as a model for his “Champions League” idea pitched for the future of his sport.
The Northern Irishman, a Manchester United fan, was in Dubai to defend his Dubai Desert Classic title, and he talked about a world tour with the best players challenged by the best from other tours.
“The way I view it is a bit like the Champions League in football,” the four-time Major champion said. “It’s like the best of the best in Europe, and then all of the other leagues feed into it.
“There’s lots of different tours getting interest and a lot of great players, but if you want to create something that is of real value for the game of golf, I think it’s this top-level tour and then all the other tours feed into it.”
The world’s best golfers would then have to maintain excellence to stay at the top, while players in tiers below would have to earn their way in.
McIlroy, previously a vocal opponent of LIV Golf, has reconsidered his position and can envision its usefulness.
A Saudi-centric version of LIV potentially joining with the PGA Tour has provided further credence.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is taking a wait-and-see approach.
“(All the outside discussions are) not really a big topic of discussion for us in our day-to-day lives,” he said on Jan 17.
“I think... going out to dinner and stuff like that with the guys out here, conversations are a bit different than they have been in the past, but that’s just because we got some stuff we need to figure out.
“And when I go out there to practise I’m trying to get my work in, and I wouldn’t say it’s a distraction for me.”
But McIlroy, 34, also underscored the importance of acting quickly.
“If this global tour somehow comes to fruition in the next few years, could you imagine bringing the best 70 or 80 golfers in the world to India for a tournament?” he said.
“I think (it) would change the game and the perception of the game in a country like that. So again, there’s so much opportunity out there to go global with it.
“I’ve said this for the last few months, but golf is at an inflection point, and if golf doesn’t do it now, I fear that it will never do it and we’ll sort of have this fractured landscape forever.”
The football-style format is an appealing idea to increase competition.
“There’s promotion and relegation and you have to earn your way in and you have to earn your spot to stay in,” McIlroy explained. “I think that’s really important, too.”
As to immediate steps, he proposed aligning interests “of the players, the business, the fans and the media and try to get everyone aligned”.
“Once you do that, then you can move forward,” he said.
In other news, Steve Stricker swept the PGA Tour Champions awards for the 2023 campaign after a season that saw him capture six wins and 15 top-10 finishes in 16 starts.
At the tour’s annual awards dinner, held on Jan 16 night in Hawaii, Stricker walked away with the 2023 Jack Nicklaus Award as Player of the Year, the Arnold Palmer Award (season money leader) and Byron Nelson Award (season scoring average). He set tour records in those two categories.
“What a privilege and what an honour to have won these special awards,” said the 56-year-old.
“I’m thankful that we have the opportunity to compete against one another.
“A lot of us go back years and years ago when we first started playing golf. The passion that we all have, to play against the best at our age, is still really special for all of us.
“I’ve enjoyed the competition and enjoyed being with you guys and I look forward to another great year.” REUTERS
