On Wednesday, the golfing community received a huge shock when Rory McIlroy made a stunning U-Turn on his previous comments. The North Irish golfer had previously blasted LIV Golf and its player. He apologized for his earlier remarks on the breakaway tour. LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has now praised the words of the four-time major champion.
Appearing at the Stick to Football podcast, McIlroy admitted he was a “little judgmental” towards the LIV Golfers. He had berated them constantly and slammed them for leaving the PGA Tour behind for wealthy contracts offered by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) backed tour.
While appearing at the Fairway to Heaven podcast, the Aussie great appreciated McIlroy’s thoughts and praised him for “falling on his sword“.
I’m very appreciative of what Rory said... What we have done is been consistent... The reason I say I appreciate Rory to fall on his sword to some degree is the fact that he did judge us by not knowing the facts. He judged us on other people’s thoughts and opinions. Greg Norman on Rory McIlroy’s words regarding LIV Golf at Fairway to Heaven podcast.
Norman though is not the only LIV Golf member who applauded McIlroy’s reversed stance. Phil Mickelson, the HyFlyers GC Captain, would take to X and offer his support to mend the bridges that have broken between the two golfing tours.
Greg Norman thanks Rory McIlroy for his words while calling it a ‘significant turning point’ for golf
The world of golf right now is dealing with the merger talks between the PGA Tour and PIF of Saudi Arabia. As the merger deadline has been extended, fans are eagerly waiting to see the outcome of it. From the words of McIlroy, it seems the two tours might come together peacefully. Greg Norman has labeled this development as a “significant turning point” for golf.
A major reason for this word from Norman has been the North Irish golfer’s previous claim on the LIV Golf. Following the announcement of the merger, the 34-year-old claimed he would rather retire from the sport than play on the 54-hole circuit.
The change in McIlroy’s stance is believed to have taken place because of the switch of Jon Rahm. The 2023 Masters Champion had been close with McIlroy and his move away to LIV Golf after previously denying them has played a huge part in this. Norman would later thank McIlroy for his change of thoughts and views on them.
I say ‘hey thank you Rory’. We all knew it was going to work within the golf ecosystem... To me, this is a significant turning point for everybody. Greg Norman on Rory McIlroy.
Only time can tell what consequences these words from McIlroy can have on the building of the partnership between the two tours. It is though likely that the feeling of animosity has decreased by a huge number. Both sets of players are now eagerly waiting to learn about the future of the game as the merger talks continue.
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