Rory McIlroy ‘under no illusions’ heading into 2024 Players | Live From The Players | Golf Channel

Rory McIlroy gave PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan a vote of confidence and shared his expectations and the state of his game going into The Players. #GolfChannel #LiveFromThePlayers #RoryMcIlroy
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Rory McIlroy ‘under no illusions’ heading into 2024 Players | Live From The Players | Golf Channel
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TOUR IN STROKES GAINED APPROACHED. RORY TALKED ABOUT THE STATE OF HIS GAME AND MUCH MORE MEETING WITH THE MEDIA. >> YESTERDAY XANDER WAS IN THERE SAYING JAY HAS A LONG WAY TO GO TO REGAIN HIS TRUST. DO YOU FEEL HE’S THE RIGHT GUY

TO BE THE CEO, THE LEADER OF THIS NEW ENTITY? >> YEAH, I THINK SO. YOU LOOK AT WHAT JAY HAS DONE SINCE HE TOOK OVER. THE MEDIA RIGHTS DEAL, NAVIGATING US THROUGH VIDEO, THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH THE DP WORLD TOUR, I WOULD SAY, YOU

KNOW, CREATING PGA TOUR ENTERPRISES THAT WE WERE JUST — WE WOULD JUST BE ABLE TO ACCEPT $1.5 BILLION INTO THE BUSINESS, I MEAN, PEOPLE CAN KNIT PICK AND SAY DIDN’T DO THIS RIGHT OR THAT RIGHT, BUT IF YOU ACTUALLY STEP BACK AND LOOK AT THE BIGGER

PICTURE THE PGA TOUR IS IN A FAR STRONGER POSITION THAN IT WAS BEFORE JAY TOOK OVER. >> HE’S HAD KIND OF AN UNFAIR SHAKE THEN? >> I THINK SOME OF THE REACTION TO JUNE 6th WAS WARRANTED BUT AT THIS POINT IT’S SIX MONTHS AGO

AND WE NEED TO MOVE ON AND MOVE FORWARD AND, YOU KNOW, TRY TO BRING THE GAME BACK TOGETHER. >> RORY, YOU ESSENTIALLY WANT A GOOD WEEK OR NEED A GOOD WEEK? >> BOTH, PROBABLY. IT’S NOT AS IF THEY’VE BEEN MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, 20th PLACES,

NOT MISSING CUTS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME WITH HOW I’VE DRIVEN THE GOLF BALL THE LAST FEW WEEKS, I SHOULD BE CONTENDING IN THE TOURNAMENTS THAT I’VE PLAYED. YEAH, A LITTLE BIT OF WORK TO DO WITH THE IRONS AND GETTING THOSE STRAIGHTENED OUT.

I FEEL LIKE EVERY OTHER PART OF THE GAME IS IN GREAT SHAPE. DRIVING THE BALL WELL. I FEEL LIKE I FIGURED OUT MY PUTTING THE LAST FEW WEEKS AND PUTTED WELL AT BAY HILL. IT’S JUST TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE POSITIONS I’M PUTTING MYSELF IN OFF THE TEE.

>> SORRY. >> FAMILIARITY LAST WINTER, AS WELL? >> YEAH. THERE’S NOT MANY PLACES I GO I’M NOT A PAST WINNER. THAT’S NICE. >> RORY, YOU WERE SAYING THAT YOU HAD AN INCREDIBLE FEEL WITH YOUR DRIVER, BUT MAYBE WASN’T TRANSLATING TO IRONS.

I WANTED TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON THERE, AND HOW YOU’RE WORK THROUGH IT? >> YEAH. THAT’S — YEAH. I HAVE THIS AMAZING FEELING WITH MY WOODS AT THE MOMENT, AND LIKE EVEN — I KNOW YOU SAW A COUPLE

TEE SHOTS YESTERDAY, BUT WHEN I TRY TO RECREATE THAT FEELING WITH THE IRONS IT STARTS LEFT AND GOES LEFT. I THINK IT’S TO DO WITH, YOU KNOW, YOU TURN HARDER WITH A WOOD AND CLEARING HARDER, AND IT’S A FEELING OF AT THE TOP IN

TRANSITION, AND WHEN I TRY TO DO WITH IT AN IRON INSTEAD OF A WOOD, IT SORT OF DROPS BEHIND ME AND I LOVE THIS FEELING OF FIRING MY RIGHT ARM DOWN THE TARGET LINE AND I CAN DO THAT WITH MY WOODS REALLY WELL, BUT

THEN WHEN I TRY TO DO THAT WITH MY IRONS THE CLUB FACE CLOSES OVER AND GOES LEFT. IT’S ALMOST LIKE TWO DIFFERENT SWINGS, TWO DIFFERENT SWINGS. I HAVE A SWING THOUGHT FOR MY WOODS AND I NEED A DIFFERENT SWING THOUGHT FOR MY IRONS AND

THAT’S SORT OF WHAT I’VE BEEN WORKING ON OVER THE LAST COUPLE DAYS. >> RORY, A QUESTION ABOUT YOU SUGGESTING SCOTTIE USE A MALLET ON TV AND NOW THAT HE WON BY FI FIVE, HOW DAUNTING IS IT TO HAVE A GUY SUCCESSFUL TEE TO GREEN,

FEELING IT ON THE GREENS, AND SECONDLY, HOW OFTEN DO YOU GIVE ADVICE TO ANOTHER PLAYER, NOT JUST SCOTTIE NESSLY. >> I’M A NOT GOING TO GIVE HIM ANYMORE ADVICE. THAT’S FOR SURE. I WAS ASKED THE QUESTION AND GAVE A RESPONSE THAT WAS — IT’S

VERY HARD TO TALK ABOUT OTHER PLAYERS, RIGHT. YOU DON’T WANT TO SAY ANYTHING THAT’S, YOU KNOW — LIKE SCOTTIE HAS HAD ENOUGH CRITICISM ABOUT HIS PUTTING. HE DOESN’T NEED ME TO START. YOU GUYS TALK ABOUT IT ENOUGH. IT WAS ME BASICALLY TRYING TO TALK ABOUT MYSELF MORE THAN TALK

ABOUT SCOTTIE. WHEN I PUTTED WITH A BLADE I STRUGGLED. WHEN I WENT TO THE SPIDER I FIND A LITTLE MORE SUCCESS AND I WAS MORE CONSISTENT. I DIDN’T KNOW HE WAS GOING TO PUT IT STRAIGHT IN BY FIVE. I THINK YEAH, I DON’T — PEOPLE

ASK FOR ADVICE I WILL GIVE THEM — IT’S NOT — I DON’T FEEL LIKE I NEED TO BE GUARDED OR NEED TO, YOU KNOW — I THINK OVER THE YEARS, COMING UP THROUGH THE RANKS, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN GOOD ENOUGH TO ME IF I’VE

ASKED THEM ADVICE TO GIVE ME ADVICE. I THINK I SHOULD BE ABLE TO REPAY THAT TO OTHER PEOPLE IF THEY COME TO ME. >> RORY, HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERIZE THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF FOR YOU ON THE BOARD, OFF THE BOARD, KIND OF SPOKESPERSON

TRYING TO WIN YOUR NEXT MAJOR AND ALL THAT STUFF, AND ARE THERE TIMES WHERE YOU MAY BE IN A QUIET MOMENT WANT THE TRAIN TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT? >> I WANT THE TRAIN TO SPEED UP SO WE CAN GET THIS OVER AND DONE WITH.

>> PERSONALLY IN YOUR JOURNEY? >> IT’S BEEN AN EDUCATION. I FEEL GRATEFUL THAT I WAS ON THE PGA TOUR BOARD AND AT THE POINT IN TIME WHEN I WAS. I FEEL LIKE IT WILL STAND TO ME DOWN THE LINE IF I EVER WANT TO

GET DEEPER INTO THE BUSINESS SIDE OF THINGS, WHETHER THAT’S IN GOLF OR IN OTHER DOMAINS. BUT, YEAH, I DEFINITELY THINK IT TOOK — I MEAN, DIDN’T REALLY TAKE A TOLL ON MY GOLF BECAUSE I STILL FEEL LIKE I PLAYED GOOD GOLF THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, BUT

IT TOOK A TOLL ON MY TIME AND, YOU KNOW, TIME THAT I WANTED TO SPEND DOING OTHER THINGS AND THAT WAS THE PART OF THE REASON WHY I DECIDED TO GET OFF. YEAH. IT’S BEEN AN EDUCATION AND, YOU KNOW, I SAID THIS TO YOU GUYS.

I LIKE BEING BUSY. I JUST LIKE BEING BUSY DOING MY OWN THINGS, AND IT JUST GOT TO THE POINT — YOU HAVE TWO BOARDS ON TOUR. ONE IS A BUSINESS BOARD AND SORT OF, YOU KNOW, THAT PRIORITY IS GROWING THE, YOU KNOW, THE

GROWTH OF THE BUSINESS OF THE PGA TOUR AND THEN THE POLICY BOARD, WHICH I WAS ON, WAS ABOUT MAKING RULES AND PLAY AND WHATEVER ELSE. THE BUSINESS BOARD TO ME WOULD BE SOMETHING IF AN OPPORTUNITY CAME ALONG IN THE FUTURE AND I

FELT LIKE IT WAS THE RIGHT TIME, WOULD BE SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO GET INVOLVED AGAIN. >> TO FOLLOW UP QUICKLY ON THAT, IN TERMS OF THE STUFF — YOU’VE PRETTY MUCH WON EVERYTHING BUT THE NEXT MAJOR IN THE LAST TEN YEARS, HOW MUCH DOES THAT BUILD

UP IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD? YOU SAID THE NEXT MAJOR WILL FEEL LIKE THE FIRST MAJOR. HOW MUCH DOES THAT BUILD UP FOR YOU A LITTLE BIT? >> IT DOES, BUT THEN AT THE SAME TIME I LOOK AT MY RECORD IN THE MAJORS OVER THE LAST COUPLE

YEARS, AND I DEFINITELY STARTED TO PERFORM MUCH MORE CONSISTENTLY IN THEM. YEAH, I’M UNDER NO ILLUSION THAT THE CLOCK IS TICKING, AND IT HAS BEEN TEN YEARS SINCE I’VE WON ONE OF THEM AND I’VE HAD CHANCES AND THOSE HAVEN’T WENT MY WAY. I NEED TO KEEP PUTTING MYSELF IN

THOSE POSITIONS AND SOONER OR LATER IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN. >> YOU HAD A CONVERSATION WITH JORDAN FOLLOWING HIS COMMENTS THE PIF AND TIGER MADE SIMILAR COMMENT TO THAT AT THE GENESIS. HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO TIGER ABOUT THAT? >> A LITTLE BIT.

I SPOKE TO TIGER AT GENESIS A LITTLE BIT. YEAH, JUST ABOUT SORT OF EVERYTHING, WHETHER IT BE THE PIF NEGOTIATIONS OR SSG AND EQUITY AND OKAY, HOW ARE WE GOING TO — NOT WE, HOW IS THE TOUR GOING TO GROW AND GO FROM

$2.5 BILLION IN REVENUE TO $4 BILLION TO WHATEVER. WE’RE ALL PART OF THE BUSINESS NOW. WE HAVE THE EQUITY GRANTS. HOW DO WE MAKE THAT EQUITY GROW SO IT BENEFITS THE PLAYERS? >> RORY, YOU EXPRESSED A DESIRE FOR MORE SIGNATURE EVENTS LAST WEEK IN ORLANDO AND IT’S

RECEIVED SOME TROUBLING REVIEWS FROM SOME OF YOUR PEERS OUT HERE ON TOUR. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SIGNATURE EVENTS AND WHAT WE USED TO HAVE FOR DECADES WITH THE WGC? IT FEELS LIKE THE SIGNATURE EVENTS GIVE MORE OPPORTUNITY TO PGA TOUR PLAYERS THAN EVER

BEFORE, BUT THERE SEEM TO BE A LOT OF CONSTERNATION. >> YEAH. I THINK WHEN YOU’VE GOT A MEMBERS ORGANIZATION THAT’S BEEN IN EXISTENT FOR 60 OR 70 YEARS AND, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST MANTRA OF THAT ORGANIZATION IS PLAYING OPPORTUNITIES, YOU KNOW,

WHENEVER PEOPLE ARE, YOU KNOW, PERCEIVED TO HAVE PLAYING OPPORTUNITIES TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM, THEY’RE NOT GOING TO LIKE IT. I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT ABSOLUTELY AND IT’S JUST THE TOUR HAS BEEN A CERTAIN WAY FOR SO LONG, BUT I ALSO THINK THE TOUR HASN’T

NECESSARILY EVOLVED WITH THE CHANGING TIMES TO MAKE IT A MORE COMPELLING TEAM AND PRODUCT AND SORT OF TRYING TO FIT IN WITH THE SORT OF MODERN MEDIA AND SPORTS LANDSCAPE. LOOK, I THINK BACK TO THAT MEETING IN DELAWARE AND I THINK, OKAY, DID WE PUSH TOO HARD?

DID WE TRY TO, YOU KNOW, HOLD THE TOUR TO RANSOM TOO MUCH, THE TOP PLAYERS? YOU LOOK AT — I THINK THE SIGNATURE EVENTS OR THE DESIGNATED EVENTS OR ELEVATED, WHATEVER IT IS, THEY REALLY WORKED LAST YEAR. IF YOU LOOK AT THE LEADERBOARDS,

THE RATINGS, I FELT LIKE THEY REALLY, REALLY WORKED IN 2023. FOR WHATEVER REASON, THEY’RE TO THE QUITE CAPTURING THE IMAGINE NATION THIS YEAR COMPARED TO LAST YEAR. IF I WERE TO PUT MY OWN PERSPECTIVE ON IT, I THINK IT’S BECAUSE FANS ARE FATIGUED OF

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE GAME AND WE NEED TO TRY TO RE-ENGAGE THE FAN AND REENGAGE THEM IN A WAY THE FOCUS IS ON THE PLAY AND NOT ON TALKING ABOUT EQUITY AND ALL THE REST OF IT. THAT’S WHY I SAID THE SOONER

THIS IS RESOLVED IT’S GOING TO BE BETTER FOR THE GAME AND BETTER FOR EVERYONE, THE FANS AND THE PLAYERS. >> FROM A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE, IT APPEARS TO BE A MUCH BETTER PRODUCT, BUT FROM A PLAYER PERSPECTIVE, ARE YOU STILL IN FAVOR OF THE QUALIFYING CRITERIA

WITH THE 30, 40% CHURN EACH YEAR? >> ABSOLUTELY. I THINK MORE CHURN THE BETTER. I SAID THIS LAST WEEK. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE MOST COMPETITIVE GOLF TOUR IN THE WORLD, AND I THINK YOU SHOULD NEED TO HAVE TO PROVE YOURSELF OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

LIKE THAT’S — YOU LOOK AT — I DON’T WANT TO TAKE FROM OTHER SPORTS BUT LOOK AT LIKE TENNIS, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY HAVE A ONE-YEAR RULING RANKING NOT A TWO-YEAR ROLLING RANKING LIKE WE HAVE IN THE OWGR AND I THINK IT

JUST, YOU KNOW, IT’S A — IT INCENTIVIZES THE PLAYERS NOT TO GET COMPLACENT, BASICALLY. I THINK THAT’S WHAT — THAT’S WHAT I’M TRYING TO TALK ABOUT AND WHY I TALKED ABOUT LAST WEEK LIKE I’M ALL FOR GIVING THE YOUNG GUYS OPPORTUNITIES. LIKE I THINK THERE SHOULD BE

MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PGA TOUR YOUTH. MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE KORN FERRY TOUR GUYS. IT’S THE GUYS THAT GET ON TOUR, GET COMFORTABLE, AND DON’T REALLY, YOU KNOW, THAT’S WHERE I THINK THAT THE TOUR COULD DO A BETTEREN JOB OF LIKE BRINGING

THE NEW TALENT IN AND HAVING THESE STEADY PIPELINES. >> BACK TO WHAT YOU JUST SAID. JAY MADE MORE THAN TWO DOZEN REFERENCES YESTERDAY TO THE FANS IN REINVESTING IN THEM FOR WHAT THE NEW ENTITY WILL BE MOVING FORWARD. I’M CURIOUS, WHAT SPECIFIC EXAMPLES, BECAUSE YOU’RE

PROBABLY GOING TO BE ONE OF THE CORNERSTONES OF THIS, CAN FANS BE EXCITED ABOUT? WHAT IS COMING IN THE NEXT TWO TO FIVE YEARS THAT WILL CAPTURE THE IMAGINATION OF GOLF FANS? >> SO I THINK PROBABLY FROM LIMITED CONVERSATIONS WITH SSG AND WHAT THEY’RE THINKING, I

THINK THE ONSITE EXPERIENCE IS SOMETHING THEY’RE GOING TO HEAVILY INVEST IN. TRYING TO GET MORE PEOPLE — NOT — I DON’T THINK EVERY WEEK HAS TO BE LIKE A PHOENIX OPEN, BUT I THINK HAVING IT BE MORE OF A — MORE OF AN EVENT, LIKE YOU

THINK OF LIKE FORMULA 1, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU GO THERE AND IT’S A WEEKEND OF RACING, BUT THERE’S SO MUCH ELSE GOING ON AND YOU GET 400,000 PEOPLE IN THROUGH THE GATES ON ANY GIVEN WEEKEND. SO CREATING MORE EVENTS LIKE THAT WHERE IT’S A WAY TO ENHANCE

THE ONSITE EXPERIENCE FOR A FAN, EVEN FANS THAT DON’T NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, WATCH GOLF WEEK IN AND WEEK OUT, BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU TRY TO BRING THEM TO A TOURNAMENT AND GET THEM INTRODUCED. THAT’S ONE PART. I THINK THE TELEVISION EXPERIENCE I THINK AND JAY

REFERENCED THIS WITH THE PGA TOUR STUDIOS UP THE STREET, AND I MEAN IF I WERE A FAN, I WOULD WANT TO WATCH THE BEST PLAYERS COMPETE AGAINST EACH OTHER WEEK IN AND WEEK OUT. TO ME, THAT SEEMS LIKE THE LOWEST HANGING FRUIT — NOT THE

LOWEST HANGING FRUIT BUT OKAY, IF YOU JUST UNIFIED THE GAME AND BROUGHT US ALL BACK TOGETHER IN SOME WAY, THAT WOULD BE GREAT FOR THE FANS. I WOULD IMAGINE. THEN I THINK THAT WOULD THEN PUT A POSITIVE SPIN ON EVERYTHING THAT’S HAPPENED HERE, AND BE

LIKE OKAY, GET TOGETHER, WE ALL MOVE FORWARD, AND I THINK PEOPLE COULD GET EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AGAIN, I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, AND THAT SEEMS LIKE IT’S PROBABLY FURTHER AWAY THAN IT SHOULD BE. I MEAN, THAT’S MY PERSPECTIVE ON IT.

>> HOW MUCH DOES THE ONUS FALL ON PLAYERS LIKE YOURSELF TO BE MORE OPEN TO THESE OPPORTUNITIES AND TO BE PART OF THESE FAN ENGAGEMENT EXPERIENCE? >> YEAH. TO ME LIKE THIS IS — LIKE THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH THE MEMBERS ORGANIZATION. THINGS ARE CREATED FOR THE

MEMBERS, RIGHT. AND THEN ONCE THOSE THINGS ARE CREATED, YOU GOT TO GO SELL THOSE THINGS TO FANS, SPONSORS, MEDIA. TO ME, THAT SEEMS A LITTLE BACKWARDS. I THINK WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN, YOU NEED TO CREATE THINGS FOR