Rory McIlroy is due to kick off his 2024 campaign in Dubai next week, but before he embarks on another season of shooting for success, the second best male golfer in the world - who also happens to love soccer and Manchester United - spoke to four Premier League legends.
Appearing on the Stick To Football podcast - hosted by former English Premier League players Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane, and Ian Wright - McIlroy shared his thoughts on a wide range of topics in golf.
In the episode, McIlroy stated his regret surrounding the parking-lot incident involving Patrick Cantlay and his caddie while also discussing plenty of other important issues as well.
Below are 14 of the biggest takeaways from McIlroy's in-depth interview, including his current views on LIV Golf, his special relationship with Tiger Woods, and how he would feel if he never won The Masters.
'TOO JUDGEMENTAL AT THE START'
From the moment LIV arrived into the world of golf, McIlroy has been one of the fiercest defenders of the PGA Tour but has recently acknowledged the 54-hole League will be a good thing for the sport in the long run.
In the hour-long interview, McIlroy admitted he had been "too judgemental" of those who crossed over to LIV Golf during its early stages and ceded the 54-hole competition is "a part of our sport now."
He said: “I think at this point, I was maybe a little judgmental of the guys who went to LIV Golf at the start, and I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realise that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Wood’s position.
"We all turn professionals to making a living playing the sports that we do, and I think that’s what I realised over the last two years. I can’t judge people for making that decision, so if I regret anything, it was probably being too judgmental at the start.
“I’ve gone through the last two years with this altruistic approach where I’ve looked at the world the way I’ve wanted to see it. Ultimately, you can say what you want and do what you want, but at the end of the day, you’re not going to be able to change people’s minds. You’re never going to make them decide based on what you say. I wouldn’t say I’ve lost the fight against LIV, but I’ve just accepted the fact that this is part of our sport now.”
'LIV EXPOSED FLAWS IN GOLF'S SYSTEM'
McIlroy admitted he "can’t believe the PGA Tour has done so well for so long" as a result of "flaws in the system" that the advent of LIV Golf helped to shine a light on.
The 34-year-old believes investment from the Saudi PIF in a potential merger - with talks now continuing into the coming months - will secure the sport's financial future and prevent golf collapsing in on itself due to over-inflated purses and sponsors walking away.
Honda recently announced it would be ending its association with the Classic tournament while Wells Fargo called time on sponsoring its self-titled event as a direct result of the costs involved.
McIlroy said: “I think what LIV has done, it’s exposed the flaws in the system of [golf], because 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 if you’re going on a tour and you’re asking sponsors 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.
“I can’t believe the PGA Tour has done so well for so long. It’s exposed some flaws in the system that hopefully golf will have a look at more. If we’re going to ask these people for so much money, we need to be able to guarantee them what they’re getting."
'CIVIL WAR IS NO GOOD - GOLF IS A SMALL ENOUGH SPORT ALREADY'
McIlroy has long been of the opinion that the best thing for golf is an amicable reunion of sorts, bringing the best players back together to compete more regularly again.
The four-time Major winner believes golf's current infighting is "sad to see" and will only end up harming the sport itself in the long run.
He said: "Part of the stuff that we’ve been trying to do for the last two years is figure out how we can try and bring golf back together again and learn from some of the things that have happened. I feel like there was a way to do it where it wasn’t going to be a massive disruptor to the game.
"And that’s another thing for me, it’s created a massive upheaval in professional golf, which is sad to see. Some people have taken one side and some people have taken another, and golf is a small enough sport. It’s not like football where you’ve got billions of fans, so if you start dividing the eyeballs in professional golf, it’s not good for anyone.”
'SPEND YOUR MONEY IN THE RIGHT WAY'
While the Northern Irishman has certainly softened in his stance over LIV since its inception, McIlroy still wants to see the PIF-backed league spread its extraordinary wealth in the right places.
He said: “I’ve come to realise that if you’ve got people or a sovereign wealth fund wanting to spend money in your sport, ultimately that’s a good thing, but you want them to spend it the right way and spend it on things that are important to the game.
“Instead of giving someone $100m, why don’t you put $50m into a grassroots programme for The Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A) or the United States Golf Association (USGA) so that you can help to grow the game, and not spend it trying to buy talent. I think that would be a better way to spend the money."
'GOLF SHOULD TAKE INSPIRATION FROM CRICKET'S INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE'
The four-time Major winner pointed to one of cricket's most successful ideas as inspiration for where LIV could fit into golf's status quo, suggesting a blocked-out section or two across the year, allowing team golf to take centre stage.
“What I would love LIV to turn into is almost like the Indian Premier League of golf," said McIlroy. "The IPL in cricket, they take two months during the calendar, you have four weeks in May and four weeks in November, and you go and do this team stuff – it’s a bit different, and it’s a different format. If they were to do something like that, I think that sounds like fun – you’re at least working within the ecosystem."
'SICK OF ALL THE MONEY TALK'
And while McIlroy openly admits there is a place for LIV Golf in the sport's ecosystem, he also stated that titles would always trump dollars in his eyes and he was "sick" of all the money talk as fans could not relate.
McIlroy said: “I’ve never had an offer from LIV Golf, personally. I didn’t engage with it when they came to me and I think at this point, I’ve set my stall out. Whenever I dreamed of becoming a professional golfer, it was all about winning trophies and winning Major championships.
"This happens in all sports, but to me, I’m sick of all the money talk in golf because the fans don’t care about it, they want to watch good golf and watch people compete against each other. The fans don’t care if you’re making this or this guy is on $200,000 a week, it just doesn’t resonate to them.”
'REMEMBER WHERE YOU CAME FROM'
McIlroy stated "most things are cool" with players who moved over from the PGA Tour to LIV but shared his frustration and annoyance at those who have taken shots at the Tour which the Northern Irishman says helped build their careers.
McIlroy said: “Most things are cool with the players who have transferred to LIV. The one thing that’s bothered me is that we’ve all grown up, playing on the European Tour or PGA Tour, and that’s given us a platform to turn into who we are, give us the profile and everything.
"So, when people have played that for 15 or 20 years, and then they jump to LIV and start talking crap about where they’ve come from, that is what bothers me because they wouldn’t be in this position if they didn’t have the career they’ve had so far.
“It’s like when you move clubs in football. It might get frustrating, and people move on, but you’re hopefully going to appreciate what the previous club did for you. That is the thing that bothers me sometimes with some of these guys that have jumped, that they’ve just started talking crap about where they’ve come from and it’s not a great look.”
'JON RAHM'S MOVE WAS SMART AND OPPORTUNISTIC'
After Jon Rahm made the switch to LIV back in December 2023, McIlroy came out and gave the Spaniard his full backing - later doubling down on that in the Stick To Football podcast.
McIlroy said: “I think, at this point, with the whole framework agreement and the merger news in June, it has legitimised what LIV was trying to do, which then made it easier for guys to jump over to LIV Golf.
"Jon Rahm hasn’t got any of the heat for going like the first guys got for going. Jon is a smart guy and I think he sees things coming together at some point so he’s thinking that he’ll take the upfront money, which is his prerogative, and if things come together, he’ll play LIV for a year then come back to play on the Tour and play some team golf.
“I thought it was a smart business move from Jon – it’s opportunistic. I think he sees that things will come back together and he’s in a lucky position. There’s not one person that wouldn’t want him on our Ryder Cup team because of how good he is, so he was in a great position where there wasn’t a ton of risk involved for him to go.
"But I’ve got no problem with going if that’s what he wants to do and he thinks that’s the right decision for him and his family, then who am I to say any different at this point.”
'I'VE NEVER HAD A LIV OFFER'
The World No.2 outright stated that he has never received an official offer from LIV Golf after making it clear from the outset that his loyalties lie with the PGA Tour.
McIlroy said: “When you first sign up to LIV Golf, they give you a guarantee in your contract that you’re committing to five or six years and we’ll pay you a certain amount each year, plus you’re competing for the prize money in each tournament as well. I don’t know what the signing on fee is, but I have seen that there is talk of Jon Rahm getting $400m.
“I’ve never had an offer from LIV Golf, personally. I didn’t engage with it when they came to me and I think at this point, I’ve set my stall out. For the last two years I’ve been trying to fight the good fight and I’ve played well and I’m in a good spot during that time, but it’s not my job to fight against LIV. At the end of the day, my job is to go out there and try to shoot the lowest score possible.
"The numbers are unbelievable, and we’ve seen the stuff that’s happening in football and F1, so they [Saudi Arabia] are getting into sport. They’re getting the World Cup in 2034, so they’re making a huge splash in the entire world of sport. It’s no different than what the UAE have done in the past.”
'LEARNED FROM PREVIOUS AUGUSTA MISTAKES'
McIlroy has never tried to hide the fact he wants to win The Masters. After all, it is the only Major he hasn't claimed. The 34-year-old acknowledged that he has played differently after driving down Magnolia Lane too often but feels he is close to turning all of those harsh lessons into a positive result.
He said: “At Augusta, I sometimes do things I wouldn’t normally do because of what it is and the pressure, and I’m completely open about that – I think I need to embrace it rather than shutting away from it.
"Every time you go back, you learn something different – I’ve had my chances at Augusta before, and every year I take that little bit and try and put it into the next year. After 14 or 15 years of it, you think it’s time to get this done.
“I was four ahead going into the last day in 2011, and I was one ahead going into the back nine. I was in the final group in 2018, with Patrick Reed. I finished second to Scottie [Scheffler] last year, but I started a long way behind and had a good last day.
“That year [2011], Charl Schwartzel won – he birdied the first and second and eagled the third. I'm starting off and that four-shot lead has gone. You just have to be mentally good to snap out of that or refocus back into what you’re doing. If you’ve been to Augusta, you can hear the roars and hear everything happening, and you know that’s different than a lot of other golf courses.”
'I'LL PLAY MORE IN THE BUILD-UP TO THE MASTERS'
The four-time Major winner has stated he will try to come into The Masters with a couple more events under his belt this year and hopes that will be the difference in making a good start - something he has often struggled to do at Augusta and which has regularly cost him.
McIlroy said: "I’m going to play quite a bit. I feel like the schedule on Tour is a bit stop- start going into The Masters. I went through stats review with my team last week and I’ve got this trend over the last few years where in May, June, July, and August - that’s my best stretch of golf. So, if we can just get that into April when The Masters starts, we’ll be good. Playing a bit more and being sharper will help, so I’m going to try and play a few more tournaments in the build-up to Augusta.”
'NO MASTERS WIN WOULD SEE A TINGE OF REGRET'
McIlroy said that while he could still look at himself in the mirror every day after retiring should he not slip on that famous green jacket at least once, the competitor in him would always be slightly frustrated.
He said: “I would be comfortable with not [winning The Masters], but I would look back with a tinge of regret. I’d still look back at my career and be happy with what I’ve done because I never expected to get as far as I have. You get to go back to that Champions dinner every Tuesday night at Augusta if you win [The Masters], and there are little things like that I’d miss if I wasn’t to do it.”
'I'M LUCKY TO HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH TIGER WOODS'
Founders of the delayed TGL, Woods and McIlroy have long had a special relationship at the top of the game based on appreciation and respect for what the other has managed to do.
Touching on that subject, McIlroy admits he sees Woods as something of an older brother and has been hugely grateful for an arm around the shoulder on more than one occasion.
McIlroy said: “Tiger Woods was my hero growing up in golf, and we forged a good relationship. Sometimes, people say you don’t want to meet your heroes, but he’s been really good to me over the years and really good with my family – he’s been great with all of us. I feel like sometimes he sees me as a little brother in a way, and he can relate to me, and he is trying to help me out.
“I’ve been over to his house a couple of times, and he’ll show me shots, and I feel like I’m really lucky that I’ve been able to learn those things from him and the fact he’s so open with me and wants to share – I don’t feel like he’s like that with everyone.”
'I DISTRACT MYSELF THE NIGHT BEFORE A TOURNAMENT'
Even the best become nervous - it shows you care. That's what they all say. And McIlroy believes that to be true as well, admitting that he tries to take his mind elsewhere in the build-up to every event so he can be free of demonic thoughts and prepare as efficiently as possible.
On preparing, McIlroy said: “To me, I need to distract myself, so I watch a movie, read a book, do something else. The more I think about it, the more I play out scenarios in my head, and you start to ruminate and start to think about all the places you don’t want to hit. I’d rather distract myself, think about anything else, and then once I get to the golf course, it’s just a normal round of golf, I’ll go and play.
“Ronnie O’Sullivan [snooker player] could do a 147 in his sleep, left-handed, he can do whatever. The only person stopping him from doing that on the big occasion is himself – and it’s the same with all of us, the only thing stopping me from doing it is myself and my thoughts. That’s why Tiger Woods was so good – he was so mentally strong, and so much mentally better than anyone else.”
