Rory McIlroy was first to dismiss the Premier Golf League, saying he wasn’t comfortable with where the proposed tour was getting its funding from and that he enjoyed his autonomy as a player. Those are opinions he shared with Brooks Koepka in a conversation the two had before Koepka made his own announcement rejecting the PGL.
McIlroy said Koepka called him a couple weeks ago.
“He wasn’t down in Mexico, but he saw what I said down there,” McIlroy, the world No. 1, said Monday on Brad Faxon’s SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio Show. “He said, ‘Is that what you really feel?’ I said, ‘Yeah, Brooks, it’s not something I want to be a part of for a few different reasons.’ I talked about the autonomy that I love having over my schedule and over what I do. I didn’t necessarily agree or like where the majority of the money is coming from to fund the tour.”
“I am out of the @premgolfleague.” That's what @BKoepka told the @AP_Sports on Sunday. One of the people who helped him come to that decision: @McIlroyRory. Rory talked about his conversation with Brooks on today's Just the Fax with @BradFaxon. pic.twitter.com/vL75wIEyen
— SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio (@SiriusXMPGATOUR) March 16, 2020
Koepka, ranked No. 3 in the world, told the Associated Press on Sunday he was out on the PGL. “I’m going with the PGA Tour. I have a hard time believing golf should be about just 48 players.”
Jon Rahm, the world No. 2, also said he’s out because he hopes to have a long PGA Tour career and he likes how the Tour operates. Bubba Watson followed with a tweet saying he’s also loyal to the Tour.
McIlroy agreed with Koepka that pro golf can’t be limited to the top 48 players.
“Brooks made a great point yesterday when he made his announcement. Golf isn’t just about 48 players,” McIlroy said on Just the Fax. “I think one of the great things about golf is the fact that there are these story lines of the underdog and the fact that anyone can really qualify for the U.S. Open and have a great tournament and have a chance to win.
“Those are the wonderful things about golf. For this league to sort of take that narrative away, and as Brooks said, he’d have a hard time looking at some of those guys in the eye that don’t make that top 48. The top players going to this other league it basically, not puts these other guys out of a job, but it definitely diminishes what they’re playing for and what they could earn on Tour.”
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