Claude Harmon III has defended Rory McIlroy in the wake of the PGA Tour’s deal with the Public Investment Fund that finances LIV Golf.
McIlroy spent much of last year defending the PGA Tour amid the emergence of LIV Golf and, even after the deal was announced, the four-time Major winner insisted “I still hate LIV.”
Harmon III has had an association with the newer circuit since its inception, most recently as a coach to Smash GC captain Brooks Koepka. However, he has not let that get in the way of his admiration for McIlroy, particularly in light of the historic deal.
Speaking on his podcast, Son of a Butch with Claude Harmon, he said: “On a personal note, I feel sorry – I really do – I feel sorry for Rory McIlroy. You could see last year how much him being the spokesperson for the PGA Tour, for the PGA Tour’s stance against LIV, against the Saudis, against the money, all that, you could see that it was wearing him.”
McIlroy appears to be finding of his best form again after a rocky period that included missed cuts at The Players Championship and The Masters, and Harmon thinks the time he put into defending the PGA Tour had an impact.
He continued: “It’s my opinion, and I don’t have any facts around this, but I think it has affected him as a person and I think it’s affected him as a player. I think it’s affected his game. I think he volunteered but I think the Tour asked Rory to do a lot last year and he did that job unbelievably well.”
McIlroy was measured in his response to the announcement, and claimed it would be “good for the game.” However, he also expressed frustration at the PGA Tour’s U-turn, saying: “It's hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I've put myself out there and this is what happens.”
Even though McIlroy may feel his efforts have been in vain, he has a fan in Harmon, who continued: “The passion and the conviction that Rory speaks in his voice, you can hear it, you can feel it. I’m a massive, massive Rory McIlroy fan both on and off the golf course."
Following the announcement, McIlroy also said of LIV: “I hope it goes away. And I would fully expect that it does," though Harmon admitted he’s not sure if he will get his wish.
He said: “Obviously, he has been fiercely anti-LIV. I think it’s going to be interesting to see where all that plays out. I’ve heard some people say that this is great for LIV, I’ve heard some other people say that this is the end of LIV, that LIV won’t be around after this year. I honestly don’t know, I don’t think anybody knows. This is a moving target. It’s fluid.”
