Rory McIlroy has questioned why some members of the media are so intent on focusing on negativity all the time.
McIlroy opened up on the subject in an illuminating Q&A with Kyle Porter for his Normal Sport newsletter.
The Northern Irishman, 35, revealed in part one that he found it somewhat dispiriting that over the last few years golf fans were more looking forward to his explosive news conferences than watching him play.
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McIlroy took centre stage as the PGA Tour’s de facto spokesperson in their battle against LIV Golf but since the turn of the year has been calling for the men’s game to be re-united.
What that looks like remains to be seen but over the weekend McIlroy hinted a peace deal between the PGA Tour, their Saudi-backed rival and the DP World Tour may come to pass before the end of the year.
He hailed the presence of two men centrally involved in talks at the Alfred Dunhill Championship as a ‘good sign’ that progress was being made.
McIlroy was referring to PIF governor and LIV chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.
The four-times major champion played in the same group as Al-Rumayyan last week with his father Gerry and South African golfer Dean Burmester.
“There’s no better place than the home of golf to try and get everyone together and talking,” McIlroy said at the home of golf.
Going forward, it’s clear McIlroy wants the focus to be on golf and how the game is in a good place.
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He was asked by Porter what question he would like to ask the media.
McIlroy said: “So I would say the one thing that I … and this isn’t you.
“There’s certain people in the game that I would say … how can I put this?
“We’re all in this together, right? We’re all in the game of golf together, and we all want to push forward.
“And I always wonder why some people in the media ask questions that have a negative connotation toward golf, or make golf look bad or put it in a bad light.
“I get it. I get that it’s human nature and negativity sells. And that’s why CNN is the way it is, and why Fox News is the way it is an all that stuff.
“But if we’re all in this together and we all know that we can benefit by raising the game up, some people in the media I’d love to ask why their coverage of golf is so negative.”
McIlroy said he accepted that when he comes up short in major championships what transpires is likely to make headlines.
But he argued: “I think it’s more to do with the coverage of … I guess it’s true, but viewership is declining, and this is bad, and that’s bad, and they hate the fans, and they hate this.
“I understand where they’re coming from, but surely it’s in everyone’s best interest to focus on the positives of the game where recreational golf has never been better, there’s more opportunities to play the game.
“Just stuff like that. Sometimes I wonder what their incentive is to be so negative at times
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