A true world golf tour? Sign Rory McIlroy up.
Speaking to Golf Digest’s John Huggan on Tuesday in Dubai, where McIlroy will make his 2024 debut at the DP World Tour’s Dubai Invitational, McIlroy talked about his “dream scenario” for elite professional golfers.
For one, McIlroy says, corporate America has to be involved along with the PIF. And secondly, for the PGA Tour to up its revenue from $2.3 billion to upwards of $6 billion, it needs to not only improve the venues that it plays on but also “look outward.”
“They need to think internationally and spread their wings a bit,” McIlroy said. “I’ve been banging that drum [for a world tour] for a while.”
McIlroy, who counts several national opens among his 37 worldwide professional victories, would love to see the Australian Open become something close to the fifth major. “The market down there is huge with potential,” he says. “They love golf. They love sport. They have been starved of top-level golf. And the courses are so good.” A potential world circuit, in McIlroy’s eyes, would also include events, whether perennial or rotating, in South Africa, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, among other regions.
“We could end up with something that resembles Formula One, but with a little more of an American presence,” McIlroy adds. “Throw in the four majors and you have a brilliant schedule for the top 70-100 guys, whatever the number is. We’d have, say a 22-event schedule. That would look pretty good to me.”
As for where LIV fits into this equation, McIlroy says there’s still plenty of room for team golf.
“If it is done like the IPL cricket model, team competition has a chance in golf,” McIlroy said. “I’ve said what I’ve said about LIV. I still think it is a confusing product. So, what they need to do is lean more into the team stuff. If you want to make your team franchises valuable, especially if you’re not going to get world-ranking points, then dive deep into team golf. I could see an eight-event schedule with four events in the spring and four events in the fall. If it was an IPL-like team thing, I would enjoy it hugely. There is an opportunity there to do more within the bigger ecosystem.”
For plenty more on McIlroy in Digest, including more thoughts on Jon Rahm and the Ryder Cup, click here.
