Tag: Rory McIlroy

What’s holding back the PGA Tour-PIF deal? Rory McIlroy says half the players don’t want it

“Everyone’s looking out for themselves and their best interests.”

After another crushing runner-up finish, this time at last week’s Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down, Rory McIlroy is teeing it up at the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club in England, one of the biggest events on the DP World Tour schedule. As expected, the Northern Irishman was once again asked about the PGA Tour-PIF deal.

In regards to the holdups on unifying the game, McIlroy said half the players on both tours don’t want it to happen.

“Department of Justice. Maybe different interests from the players’ side. I’d say, it’s pretty similar. I’d say maybe half the players on LIV want the deal to get done, half probably don’t. I’d say it’s probably similar on the PGA Tour,” he said. “Because just like anything, everyone’s looking out for themselves and their best interests. You know, it would benefit some people for a deal not to get done, but it would obviously benefit some people for a deal to get done.

“Yeah, I think there’s different opinions amongst the players about what should happen, and I think when you have a members’ run organization, it complicates things a little bit, especially when some of those players are having to make decisions on the business side of things. So those are the two. I think the tours want it to happen. The investors certainly want it to happen because they can see the benefit for themselves.

“But right now, it’s DOJ and differing opinions of the players.”

BMW PGA Championship: Photos from star-studded pro-am

Last week, PGA Tour officials flew to New York to meet with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The two parties are allegedly working on finalizing terms of a deal that would inject more than $1 billion from the PIF into PGA Tour Enterprises, the newly created for-profit entity launched earlier this year.

2024 Tour Championship
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan addresses the gallery gathered on the 18th green after the final round of the 2024 Tour Championship. (John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports)

At last month’s Tour Championship at East Lake, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan had this to say about the ongoing discussions:

“As it relates to any details of the conversations that we’re having with the Public Investment Fund, I’m not going to disclose details. I’m not going to get into specifics.

“I’m not going to negotiate details in public or disclose details or specifics. All I can say is that conversations continue, and they’re productive.

“When you get into productive conversations, that enhances the likelihood of positive outcomes, and that enhances the spirit of those very conversations. I think that’s where things stand.”

Photos: Tom Holland, Gareth Bale among star-studded pro-am at the 2024 BMW PGA Championship

Check out the best photos from the pro-am here.

The 2024 BMW PGA Championship — one of the biggest events on the DP World Tour schedule — gets underway Thursday at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England. On Wednesday, however, celebrities like Tom Holland and Gareth Bale participated in the event’s star-studded pro-am.

While players like Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Adam Scott, Billy Horschel, Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick and Robert MacIntyre were preparing for the tournament, they were joined by Holland, Bale, Andy Murray and loads of other stars for a fun day around Wentworth.

Check out nearly two dozen of the best photos from the BMW PGA Championship pro-am below. Plus, you can find the event’s first-round tee times here.

Best photos from 2024 BMW PGA Championship pro-am

Rasmus Hojgaard holes out, steals Rory McIlroy’s thunder with Amgen Irish Open victory

Rasmus Hojgaard’s improbable run on the back nine helped him capture his fifth DP World Tour victory.

With a sold-out crowd and a ton of momentum, Rory McIlroy appeared poised to post his first DP World Tour victory on Northern Irish soil after taking the 54-hole lead at the Amgen Irish Open on Saturday.

And for much of Sunday too it appeared McIlroy, who missed the cut the last time the event was held at Royal County Down in 2015, would have a homecoming victory to celebrate.

But Rasmus Hojgaard’s improbable run on the back nine, highlighted by a hole-out from the bunker on the 17th hole, pushed the Danish golfer into a lead he maintained to capture his fifth DP World Tour victory.

Hojgaard birdied each of the last three holes and four of the last five to earn the win, finishing at 65 for his final round and 9 under for the tournament.

Meanwhile, McIlroy needed an eagle on the par-5 18th hole to force a playoff and put his second shot to 15 feet, but his putt barely brushed the right edge of the cup and he tapped in for birdie. He finished at 8 under, a stroke ahead of Matteo Manassero.

For Hojgaard, the victory pushed him closer to his goal of qualifying for the 2025 Ryder Cup team.

“I had a number today that I was to reach and that was eight. So obviously coming in and finishing on nine was gold,” Hojgaard said. “I’m so happy. The game has been trending for a while now and just to get this one is massive.

“It couldn’t come at a better time. There are some great events in this part of the season. So yeah, I’m a step closer to my goal now. And  I can’t wait for what the rest of the year has in store.”

Rory McIlroy, seeking 18th DP World Tour win, leads Amgen Irish Open with 18 holes to go

McIlroy was one of just four golfers to break 70 on Saturday.

Rory McIlroy has 17 DP World Tour wins. He’s 18 holes from adding an 18th.

McIlroy tied for low the round of the day on Saturday with a 2-under 69 at Royal County Down in Newcastle, Northern Ireland, at the 2024 Amgen Irish Open.

McIlroy opened with an eagle 3 on the par-5 opening hole for the second day in a row Saturday. He then countered a bogey on the fifth – the third day in a row he’s bogeyed that hole – with a birdie on the seventh. He added another birdie on 13 before four straight pars.

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The last hole, the par-5 18th, was an interesting close to his day. He missed the fairway right, then went left of the fairway with his second, then back across to right of the fairway with his third. His fourth was to four feet but he then missed the putt for par.

Still, he’ll take a one-shot lead into the final round. Playing for the first time since the Tour Championship, McIlroy has been drawing huge crowds all over the golf course in his native Northern Ireland, where he’s seeking his second Irish Open title on home soil.

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“It’s been amazing,” he said after his second round Friday. “I felt like even the crowds today were maybe a little bigger than they were yesterday and it was great. It’s fun to play in an atmosphere like that.”

After his Saturday round, he sounds optimistic but cautious.

“To play a good three days here and be in the final group and give myself a chance tomorrow, I’m excited for the opportunity,” he said. “After the sort of year that I’ve had and the close misses it wouldn’t make up for all of it, but it would go a long way in putting a nice shine on 2024 for me.”

Second-round leader Matteo Manassero, who shot the round of the week with a 66, shot a 1-over 72 on Saturday and slipped to solo second.

Robert MacIntyre and Jordan Smith each shot 2-under 69s to finish among a group of four golfers tied for third at 3 under, three shots back. They joined Adrian Otaegui as the only other golfers besides McIlroy to break 70 on Saturday.

Shane Lowry, who talked Friday of aspirations of playing alongside McIlroy for Sunday’s final round, could only muster a 3-over 74 in the third round and is now tied for 30th.

Rory McIlroy returns to home soil for Amgen Irish Open, sits two back after first round

McIlroy is on familiar soil.

Rory McIlroy is on familiar soil.

Eleven days after a tie for ninth in the Tour Championship, McIlroy fired a first-round 68 on Thursday in the 2024 Amgen Irish Open. The event is being held at Royal County Down in his home nation of Northern Ireland, which ranks No. 1 on Golfweek’s Best list of courses outside the U.S.

McIlroy raves about it, saying, “I definitely think it’s the best links course in the world.”

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He won the 2016 Irish Open crown at The K Club but a year prior, when the Irish Open was at Royal County Down, he missed the cut. He also missed the Open Championship cut in 2019 at Royal Portrush, also in Northern Ireland.

“The couple Irish Opens that I’ve played in Northern Ireland, the one Open Championship I played in Northern Ireland, hasn’t gone so well,” he said ahead of this year’s event. “It’s on me to try and relax and go about my business as I would at any other time of the year. It’s great to play in front of them (the fans) but I have to manage my own little world around me to try to get the best out of myself as well.”

During Thursday’s round, McIlroy opened with a birdie but back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15 dropped him back to even par. He then birdied his final three holes to finish 3 under on the day.

McIlroy is tied for third four others. Sami Valimaki and Alejandro Del Ray are tied for second at 4 under.

Everyone’s chasing Todd Clement of England, who fired a a 5-under 66, a round he capped off with an eagle on the 18th hole. He hit his second into the 540-yard par-5 to 17 feet, then drained the eagle putt.

Longest drivers on PGA Tour since 1980 include Dan Pohl, John Daly, Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy

This is the list of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour for each season since 1980, when the stat was first kept.

Who are the longest drivers on the PGA Tour?

They’ve been keeping stats on average driving distances since 1980.

In 2003, the mark of 321.4 yards was achieved by Hank Kuehne and was the standard-bearer for almost two decades. During the 2019-20 season, Bryson DeChambeau broke Kuehne’s 17-year-old mark. One year later, DeChambeau broke his own mark.

Go back to 1997, where John Daly was the first to surpass the average distance of 300 yards. In all, Daly led the Tour in driving distance 11 times.

Being a big hitter doesn’t always lead to victory. Only eight golfers on this list won a PGA Tour event in the same year they led in driving. In case you were wondering, neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson ever led the Tour in driving distance.

This is the list of the longest drivers starting in 1980 through the 2024 regular season at the Tour Championship.

The Match: Looking back at all nine made-for-TV golf matches

Which version of The Match was your favorite?

It’s been nearly six years since the first edition of The Match, the made-for-TV series of silly season golf events featuring everyone from PGA Tour legends to current NFL and NBA all-stars.

In that time, golf fans have been treated to seven different matches, most recently the first to be played using a mixed-team format.

Even though the first edition of The Match – Woods vs. Phil Mickelson in November 2018 in Las Vegas – didn’t quite live up to the hype, it proved there was a market for the competition. Over the years the matches have grown into charitable causes benefitting COVID-19 relief and HBCU’s while still providing golf fans a unique product outside of 72-hole stroke-play tournaments.

Exclusive: Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler to face Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka in TV battle

Representatives of all four players confirmed their involvement to Golfweek.

Golf’s long-simmering civil war is about to become prime-time entertainment.

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will face Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in a made-for-TV match later this year, Golfweek has learned.

The contest pits the two biggest stars on the PGA Tour against the most high-profile figures on LIV Golf, and will be widely interpreted as indicating a potential thaw in relations between the once warring camps.

The event will be held mid-December in Las Vegas and will air on TNT, which is owned by Warner Brothers Discovery. TNT previously broadcast nine editions of The Match, the series of exhibitions that launched in 2018 with Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson. McIlroy, Koepka and DeChambeau have all appeared in versions of The Match, but it’s unclear if this latest battle will be a continuation of that series. Four previous Matches were held in Las Vegas, three at Wynn Golf Club and one at Shadow Creek.

McIlroy confirmed his participation after an inquiry from Golfweek.

“I’m thrilled to partner with Scottie in what promises to be an exciting duel against Bryson and Brooks in Vegas this December,” he wrote in a text message. “This isn’t just a contest between some of golf’s major champions; it’s an event designed to energize the fans. We’re all here to put on a great show and contribute to a goodwill event that brings the best together again.”

More: Looking back at all nine made-for-TV golf Match events

Representatives of the other three players also confirmed their involvement to Golfweek.

“Brooks and Scottie are very excited to be a part of this unique event and look forward to sharing more soon,” said Blake Smith, who represents both Koepka and Scheffler.

Brett Falkoff, the agent for DeChambeau, said: “Bryson looks forward to competing in Las Vegas this December in an event that is sure to provide great entertainment for the fans.”

The prime-time special is being produced by Bryan Zuriff’s BZ Entertainment — which developed The Match series — and EverWonder Studio, which was founded last year by Ian Orefice, is run by former CNN chief Jeff Zucker and is funded by RedBird IMI. Two sources say the players will receive an appearance fee but will not compete for prize money.

The PGA Tour declined to comment on the event. The Tour has been engaged in negotiations with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund — which bankrolls LIV — since signing the controversial Framework Agreement 15 months ago. Earlier this summer, the Tour appointed a committee to handle those talks directly. McIlroy is among a number of players who sit on that committee.

PGA: Charles Schwab Challenge - Final Round
Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy fist bump on the 18th green during the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

In a press conference at last week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta, commissioner Jay Monahan said PIF negotiations are ongoing but refused to offer specifics, saying he would not conduct talks in public. But Monahan’s comments also included a veiled reference to imminent changes for fans.

“At the same time, we’re moving forward at speed and focused on what we can control, because that’s what we owe to our fans,” he said.

More: Lynch: The Match proves golf can be a fun product, without trading virtues for vulgarity

In response to a later question about how the Tour and PIF have prioritized talks, Monahan said the sides were “really starting to talk about the future, future product vision and where we can take our sport.”

The Vegas match features a lineup of stars who share layered rivalries. McIlroy and Koepka were tied at four major victories each until Koepka won a fifth at the 2023 PGA Championship, while DeChambeau narrowly edged McIlroy in a heartbreaking finish to the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in June.

Koepka and DeChambeau also had a highly-publicized social media feud in 2021. It has seemingly been patched up since they moved to the LIV circuit.

Meanwhile, Scheffler has established himself as the undisputed world No. 1, with seven PGA Tour wins this season, culminating in the FedEx Cup title last weekend, which came with a bonus of $25 million.

(Editor’s note: This story was updated to clarify Jeff Zucker’s involvement in the project.)

Watch: Rory McIlroy takes shoes off, hits laser with feet in creek after snapping driver at BMW Championship

It was a wild two-shot sequence for McIlroy.

It was a wild two-shot sequence for Rory McIlroy on Sunday. One you’ll have to see to believe.

The World No. 3 hit a wayward tee shot on the par-4 ninth during the final round of the 2024 BMW Championship, and his ball came to rest on the bank just above a creek that meanders down the right side of the fairway. As McIlroy leaned on his driver to bend and grab his tee, his shaft snapped.

Down a club, McIlroy got to his ball and began to take off his shoes and then socks. He stepped in the creek and took a few different practice swings while adjusting his feet in the water and then on and around some rocks. He then took a swing, and what would you know, he hit a laser than landed right over the flag.

The birdie putt came up just a couple rolls short, leaving him with an easy par.

Rory McIlroy tossed his driver in the water during on-course tantrum

Rory McIlroy let his emotions get the best of him during a frustrating finish on Friday.

The game of golf can drive anyone to immense frustration, even when you’re one of the best players in the world.

Rory McIlroy proved that on Friday when his emotions got the best of him deep in the back nine as he finished Round 2 at the BMW Championships in Denver at 1-under for the day and sitting 10 strokes back from leader Adam Scott.

After the world’s No. 3-ranked golfer three-putted on Hole 16 to finish with a bogey, he missed the fairway on his Hole 17 drive. It’s an eagle-able Par 5, but McIlroy ultimately parred the hole.

Following the awry drive, McIlroy lost his cool — albeit, in the most anti-climactic way possible. He just tossed his driver into the water in front of the tee box, ever-so-casually.

It may have felt cathartic for McIlroy, who missed the opportunity to gain some ground on the leader on Hole 17. But that feeling probably went away when he had to fish it out of the drink and then take a walk of shame to his ball.

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