Past Injuries Prevent McIlroy from Joining PGA Tour’s Policy Board

‘Old wounds’ keep McIlroy off PGA Tour’s Policy Board


Rory McIlroy’s walk back to the PGA Tour’s Policy Board was once viewed as a sure thing.Chloe Knott, Courtesy Augusta National

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA | When Rory McIlroy raised his hand to help guide the PGA Tour through its difficult and slow-moving negotiations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund by rejoining the tour’s Policy Board, he got a surprising “not so fast” response. What many thought was a sure thing instead is now another twist in the complicated process of moving the PGA Tour forward as it adjusts to a dramatically different landscape.

McIlroy won’t be rejoining the Policy Board as one of the six player directors and, instead, Webb Simpson will serve out the remainder of his term through 2025.

“I put my hand up to help and it was – I wouldn’t say it was rejected; it was a complicated process to get through to put me back on there. So that’s all fine. No hard feelings, and we’ll all move on,” McIlroy said Wednesday in advance of the Wells Fargo Championship, a $20 million signature event beginning Thursday at Quail Hollow Club.

It is, however, an unexpected twist in the ongoing swirl of developments surrounding the tour and its efforts to redirect its future. McIlroy resigned from the Policy Board last November and was replaced by Jordan Spieth, an indication of McIlroy’s frustration with the inner workings of the tour’s governing group.

McIlroy surprised many when he indicated a willingness to return with the goal of helping smooth the path to an eventual agreement with the PIF and LIV Golf. It didn’t take long before his bid ran into resistance.

“It got pretty complicated and pretty messy, and I think with the way it happened, I think it opened up some old wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before,” McIlroy said. “I think Webb staying on is a really good thing. I think he’s got a really balanced voice in all of this, and I think he sees the bigger picture, which is great. My fear was if Webb stepped off and it wasn’t me that was going in his place, what could potentially happen.” – Rory McIlroy

“I think there was – there was a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason… I think the best course of action is, if there’s some people on there that aren’t comfortable with me coming back on, then I think Webb just stays on and sees out his term, and I think he’s gotten to a place where he’s comfortable with doing that, and I just sort of keep doing what I’m doing.”

It’s no secret that Patrick Cantlay, one of the player directors, has taken an aggressive role within the Policy Board, and his reported hardline approach to the negotiations hasn’t set well with some. McIlroy said he’s been involved in various discussions about the tour’s future, including a lunch meeting with some player directors at Quail Hollow this week.

Not being on the Policy Board doesn’t mean McIlroy won’t have his voice heard. He thinks there is room for a resolution at some point down the road.

“I’m still optimistic,” McIlroy said. “I think Webb staying on is a really good thing. I think he’s got a really balanced voice in all of this, and I think he sees the bigger picture, which is great. My fear was if Webb stepped off and it wasn’t me that was going in his place, what could potentially happen.”

Simpson put a positive spin on the latest development in a story that seemingly has no end in sight.

“I think the sentiment was Rory McIlroy, being the global superstar that he is and the strong voice that he has in the game of golf, you know, it would be great to get him involved more. So, you know, what capacity is he going to get involved more?” Simpson said. “I think three weeks ago we just wanted him more involved, and I think I’ve seen support from the guys on wanting him more involved and helping… All he has said to me is, ‘I just want to help if you guys want me to help.’ So, we’re thankful that he wants to help. He has, like I said, an important voice, and I think he’s already made a positive impact the last week in his role.”

It is approaching the one-year anniversary of the bombshell June 6 announcement that the PGA Tour and the PIF had reached a “framework agreement.” It ended various lawsuits, saving both sides millions of dollars in potential legal fees, but it hasn’t led to a larger agreement.

Perhaps the biggest stumbling block is how the game will look going forward. The PGA Tour likes its structure, and there is little support to incorporate team golf into the January through August schedule while PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan is said to be committed to making team play a part of any agreement.

There are also questions about how players who joined LIV might be allowed to return to the PGA Tour. McIlroy has said he favors bringing players back together, but there is a faction within the Policy Board who believe there should be sanctions for players who left and subsequently were suspended indefinitely by the tour.

“I think there’s always roadblocks in a deal of this magnitude, but I know that the transaction committee, all the guys at [the Strategic Sports Group, which has committed up to $3 billion to a new for-profit business, PGA Tour Enterprises], the PGA Tour, they’re all working night and day to try to work through some of these roadblocks,” Simpson said. “And I think it’s natural in any deal when you have two parties trying to come together, there’s going to be some things that one side wants that the other doesn’t, and vice versa.”

Evidently, the same can be said about the tour’s Policy Board.