Rory McIlroy idea knocked back by PGA Tour ace fearful of coming across as 'naive American'

Rory McIlroy idea knocked back by PGA Tour ace fearful of coming across as 'naive American'

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Stuart Ballard

By Stuart Ballard


Published: 21/02/2024

- 14:25

Updated: 21/02/2024

- 14:34

Rory McIlroy has proposed a new super tour for the world's best players to try and bring professional golf back together again.

Rory McIlroy's idea for a 'global series' featuring the world's best 80 players has been knocked back by fellow PGA professional Johnson Wagner, who as an American doesn't like the idea of the big competitions being played outside of USA-friendly timezones.

The landscape of professional golf is still up in the air with the sport still split due to LIV Golf players not playing on the PGA Tour.


Speaking at the Genesis Invitational, McIlroy raised the idea of creating a new tour "for the top 80 players in the world".

He likened it to the Champions League in European football with the best of the best going up against one another.

As part of McIlroy's fantasy scenario, he would also like the world's best players to venture out of the United States and follow a similar format to the one on the DP World Tour.

Rory McIlroy has proposed a new tour for the world's best players

Rory McIlroy has proposed a new tour for the world's best players

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“It’s all pie in the sky stuff, but I think there has to be a component of the southern hemisphere, Australia, South Africa… and the Far East, whether that be Korea, Japan, China,” McIlroy said.

“Obviously the Middle East as well. We’ve been going to the Middle East for a long time, but obviously Dubai, Saudi, and then sort of working our way from east to west and back into the US for the sort of spring, summertime."

Wagner, who works as an analyst for Golf Channel, feels McIlroy's idea of a separate tour for the best players in the world is the way forward.

However, he stopped short of accepting McIlroy's idea of moving out of America for a section of the season as he felt it would be impossible to follow for those living in the USA.

"Globally - I go back to the Ryder Cup in Rome," he said on Golf Channel.

"It was really hard to watch every shot just given the hours that it comes on, that it's live in the United States.

"I don't want to sound like a naive American golf fan, but I don't want to see my favourite players playing in the middle of the night in the United States.

"I am certainly not going to record it and watch it later because I'll want to know what happens when it happens.

"I see the idea of the tour and I think that's where we're headed.

Rory McIlroy wants the tour to be global

Rory McIlroy wants the tour to be global

GETTY

"I think Rory's got some great ideas but the global nature of it I find is going to be a challenge."

This year's PGA Tour features just a handful of events that are played outside of the United States.

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Americans found it tough to follow the Ryder Cup live last year

Americans found it tough to follow the Ryder Cup live last year

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The Mexico Open, Puerto Rico Open, Corales Puntacana Championship and Genesis Scottish Open are the only PGA-affiliated events.

LIV Golf is also predominantly played in the United States, but there are far more events played across the globe.

The next LIV Golf event will be held in Saudi Arabia and that will be followed by a trip to Hong Kong.

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