Rory McIlroy is set to scale back his frenzied involvement in golf's civil war after admitting the saga has left him "gassed."
The Northern Irishman has essentially been the poster boy for the PGA Tour these past 12 months, vociferously criticising the divisive LIV Golf venture and even forming a new TGL competition with Tiger Woods to help ward off the threat to the status quo. But being central to the media storm didn't seem to affect his on-field game, finishing 2022 as the world No 1 once again.
Indeed, much of the hype in the build-up to the US Masters last month centred around McIlroy, as the pre-tournament favourite bid to finally seal the career Grand Slam he's long craved. However, instead fans saw the star labour to five over par in 36 holes, failing to event make the weekend at Augusta.
McIlroy responded to the disappointment by withdrawing from the RBC Heritage tournament in America a week late, despite a £2.4 million PGA Tour sanction hanging over his head for declining to play. But the 34-year-old has no moved to explain his decision, and implied that the involvement in the war between the rival tours and taken its toll mentally.
"I wasn’t gassed because of the golf, I was gassed because of everything that we’ve had to deal with in the golf world over the past 12 months and being right in the middle of it and being in that decision-making process,” he told The Guardian .
“I’ve always thought I’ve had a good handle on the perspective of things and where golf fits within my life, but I think over the last 12 months I’d lost sight of that. Lost sight of the fact that there’s more to life than the golf world and this silly little squabble that’s going on between tours.”
The four-time major champion will return to action on Thursday at the Wells Fargo Championship at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. He'll be joined in a strong field by the likes of Matt Fitzpatrick, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Thomas.
But despite McIlroy seemingly softening his stance, the explosive saga escalated again on Thursday when three of his former Ryder Cup teammates ruled themselves out of this year's event in Rome. Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, and Ian Poulter have all resigned their DP World Tour membership.
After an arbitration panel ruled against LIV rebels, who were appealing being sanctioned by DP bosses for playing in Greg Norman's tournaments without permission, the trio were left with little choice but to pay their outgoing fines and give up their cards. Along with McIlroy, all three players have become synonymous with the European team and golf's most famous team event.
