Speaking with John Huggan of Golf Digest in Dubai—as McIlroy will begin his 2024 season at the inaugural Dubai Invitational this week—the Northern Irishman revealed his ‘dream scenario’ for the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
“My dream scenario is a world tour, with the proviso that corporate America has to remain a big part of it all. Saudi Arabia, too. That’s just basic economics. But there is an untapped commercial opportunity out there. Investors always want to make a return on their money,” McIlroy said Tuesday.
“Revenues at the PGA Tour right now are about $2.3 billion. So, how do we get that number up to four or six? To me, it is by looking outward. They need to think internationally and spread their wings a bit. I’ve been banging that drum for a while.”
These comments come just days after McIlroy reversed his course on LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed circuit he has long been critical of.
Rory McIlroy, DP World Tour, Dubai Invitational
Rory McIlroy during a practice round ahead of the 2024 Dubai Invitational. Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images
“I think what LIV has done is exposed the flaws in the system of what golf has,” McIlroy said on the English Stick to Football podcast on Jan. 3.
“We’re all supposed to be independent contractors, and we can pick and choose what tournaments we want to play. But I think what LIV and the Saudis have exposed is that you’re asking for millions of dollars to sponsor these events, and you’re not able to guarantee to the sponsors that the players are going to show up.”
The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the sovereign wealth fund for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reportedly has more than $700 billion in assets. The PIF has invested over $1 billion into LIV Golf, staging tournaments around the globe and awarding outlandish sums of money to players at these events.
To combat this, the PGA Tour has been forced to increase its purse sizes and squeeze more capital from its corporate partners.
The tour relies on its sponsors to operate; without them, it would likely cease to exist.
The PGA Tour thus created ‘Signature Events’ for 2024: eight tournaments with elevated purses and limited top-heavy fields. Some of these lack a 36-hole cut. That means the top players will focus on playing in these events while ignoring smaller, full-field events that have been historic fabrics of the tour.
