There aren’t many topics in the golf world on which Rory McIlroy won’t comment, and the grand slam champion has been known on occasion to flip-flop.
Other players in the game have apparently taken notice.
McIlroy, as one of the most outspoken critics of LIV Golf, unsurprisingly weighed in on the Saudi-backed league’s seismic change, going from 54-hole tournaments to a traditional 72-hole competition.
“I don’t know. I don’t pay too much attention to what Rory says, really. He’ll change his mind next week,” Westwood snipped in an appearance with talkSPORT.
Lee Westwood Goes Back at Rory McIlroy for LIV Comments
There was perhaps no greater example of McIlroy changing his tune than his overall view of the LIV vs. PGA Tour battle. While McIlroy remains anti-LIV — he has even said he “hates” the breakaway league — he has come around on realizing the deep-pocketed league isn’t likely to go away anytime soon. As such, McIlroy largely seems resigned to utilizing the PIF if needed, a viewpoint he shared after the framework agreement between the two sides in 2023.
Of course, that agreement went nowhere, and the two sides remain seemingly far apart on any sort of reunification of the sport. If anything, LIV going to 72 holes could prolong the battle as it seeks even more legitimacy — and coveted OWGR points.
“I think that’s one of the angles behind it,” Westwood admitted in the talkSPORT interview. “I think there were a few different things. I think some of the guys, they focus the whole season around the major championships, and I think playing 54 holes was putting them in a bit of disadvantage. I think they wanted to play 72 holes to represent a little bit more of the championship format.”
Reading between the lines, the word “they” is doing a lot of heavy lifting for the 52-year-old Westwood, who has one major championship start in the last three seasons.
Westwood added, “But I think world rankings is one of the things on LIV’s mind, yeah. I don’t know if it’s one of the criteria because there are 54-hole tournaments that got world ranking points before, but I think the boxes you need to tick for world rankings points, 72 holes probably helps that.”
Rory McIlroy Not Sold On LIV Change
McIlroy, though, doesn’t seem to think it will make much of a difference. In fact, he and Westwood have some common ground on one aspect of the change.
“I think it’s a peculiar move because I think they could have got ranking points with three rounds,” McIlroy told reporters in a press conference at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. “I don’t think three rounds versus four rounds is what was holding them back.”
McIlroy and Westwood are former Ryder Cup teammates, so the little quibble is an interesting look into the current state of the Team Europe politics.
Another early LIV defector, Graeme McDowell, recently lobbied for himself as captain at Adare Manor in 2027. Given all that has transpired over the last few years, that seems unlikely, and the same could be said for any involvement with Westwood moving forward.
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