Rory McIlroy is said to be heartbroken after the PGA Tour announced a peace deal with LIV Golf’s Saudi backers, new book says .
Rory McIlroy is said to be heartbroken after a ‘cold-blooded’ PGA Tour executive dashed his hopes and dreams by brokering a peace deal with LIV Golf – who took his father he is Gerry at an exclusive golf club.
According to an excerpt from Alan Shipnuck’s LIV & Let Die:
, the inside story of the battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, it is claimed that McIlroy thought he was fighting for something ” much bigger than him” amid unprecedented disruption in men’s sport.
Shipnuck says there is a huge difference in how 34-year-old McIlroy is perceived among his peers.
Rory McIlroy accused of being ‘disrespectful’ by major champion
Some have applauded him for putting himself first while others have suggested he was ‘bought and paid for’ like everyone else in the world.
McIlroy soon declared the rival tournament “dead in the water” as players such as Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson withdrew from the tour after Phil Mickelson’s remarkable comments about his dealings with the Saudis published for the first time.
He also repeatedly hurled insults at LIV Golf general manager Greg Norman.
Immediately after the PGA Tour-PIF announcement, McIlroy said he still “hated” LIV, but later admitted that the proposal to form a new for-profit golf company with the Saudis as the final minority investors will neutralize the risk of complete disintegration. navigation.
Shipnuck wrote:
“All PGA Tour loyalists appreciate and respect Rory for his support
” He puts himself first, but there’s a lot of sting on the LIV side bitter because Rory l made it so personal. He became a famous troll and shot many people. »
Shipnuck is referring to the time McIlroy had a falling out with Sergio Garcia. They have since reconciled, but at one point McIlroy claimed the Spaniard sent him a series of expletive-filled texts telling the Ulsterman to “shut up”.
“There’s a big difference in the way Rory is perceived. I respect Rory because he’s willing to say what a lot of people are thinking and he’s shown a lot of courage and conviction.
“Unfortunately for Rory, he’s also an idealist and thinks he’s fighting for something bigger than himself.
“Then the guys with the money come in – Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy [PGA Tour director] – and they completely sold him out and broke his heart. Rory learned a valuable lesson about the real world. Idealism only goes so far and money always wins.
“Jimmy Dunne is a friend and adviser to Rory going back a long way. He got Rory’s dad into Seminole Golf Club, one of the inner sanctums of golf — Gerry McIlroy was a former bartender and that does not fit the normal Seminole member profile.
“That was all Jimmy Dunne and yet it was also Jimmy Dunne, in secret, who cold-bloodedly crushed Rory’s hopes and dreams with this [framework] deal.”
Dunne was one of two PGA Tour officials that were grilled before US lawmakers about the framework agreement.
It was Dunne who initially reached out to to LIV mastermind, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, over short WhatsApp message.
Months after a series of secret meetings across the globe, the peace agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf was announced on 6 June.
Negotiations between the parties has now intensified after the conclusion of the 2023 Ryder Cup.
The deadline for the agreement to be ratified is 31 December, but that can be extended. Recent reports suggest the deal is not likely to happen.
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