Rory McIlroy resigns from the PGA Tour Policy Board

CNN
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Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy He has resigned from his position as player director of the PGA Tour Policy Council, the organization announced on statement Tuesday.

“Based on personal and professional commitments, Rory McIlroy has informed the PGA Tour Policy Board that he will resign from his position as Director of Players,” the PGA Tour statement said.

McIlroy has served on the board for two years after spending the past three years as a member of the Players Advisory Board.

The world No. 2 golfer’s decision comes amid ongoing discussions to finalize the proposed agreement involving the PGA Tour, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the DP World Tour (formerly known as the European Tour), which has sent reverberations around the world. The world of golf when it was Announced on June 6.

The three organizations signed an agreement to merge the PIF’s golf business and commercial rights – including the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series – with the business and rights of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour into a new, collectively owned, for-profit company. entity.

A day after the shock announcement in June, McIlroy said he had “mixed feelings” about the proposed partnership. The 34-year-old has been a vocal critic Leaf golfthe Saudi separatist league.

But on Tuesday, before announcing his resignation, McIlroy was speaking flatteringly about the future of golf.

“The professional game has never been stronger or financially healthier,” McIlroy told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday ahead of this week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

“There has never been a better time to be a professional golfer,” he added.

When asked about progress on the proposed agreement to combine the three professional golf entities, McIlroy said: “Nobody out there has any details. Loose lips sink ships, so we’re trying to keep it tight and within the walls. I’m sure that when there’s news to tell, She will be informed.”

McIlroy also alluded to the challenges surrounding a player’s role as a manager, saying this is “not what I signed up for when I joined the board”.

“But yeah, professional golf has been in a state of flux over the last couple of years. Again, I think the game overall is in really good shape. But everyone’s focused on that top level because it is what it is, and it’s an entertainment product and a show, but the more… Correcting it faster, I think is better for everyone.

McIlroy’s term was scheduled to end at the end of 2024. According to the “PGA TOUR Championship Bylaws, when the position of any player’s manager becomes vacant due to resignation, the remaining player managers shall elect a successor to serve his or her unexpired term.”