Is golf coverage too negative? Rory McIlroy weighs in

Given all of the upheaval in the professional ranks between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, there has been plenty of negativity to go around over the last few years. But is it warranted?

Rory McIlroy says no.

In an interview with Kyle Porter on Porter’s digital news platform “Normal Sport,” McIlroy and Porter batted around a range of topics, from the top players McIlroy faced as a junior to how becoming a father has helped McIlroy let go of bad rounds.

The conversation also turned to what question McIlroy would like to ask the golf media.

“There’s certain people in the game that I would say — how can I put this? We’re all in this together, right?” McIlroy told Porter. “We’re all in the game of golf together, and we all want to push forward. And I always wonder why some people in the media ask questions that have a negative connotation toward golf, or make golf look bad or put it in a bad light. I get it. I get that it’s human nature and negativity sells. And that’s why CNN is the way it is, and why Fox News is the way it is and all that stuff. But if we’re all in this together and we all know that we can benefit by raising the game up, some people in the media I’d love to ask why their coverage of golf is so negative.”

When it comes to critiques of individual performances, though, such as McIlroy’s tough U.S. Open loss earlier this year, he says he understands.

“If someone messes up and you have to be critical of someone, absolutely,” he told Porter. “I think that is a part of it. I think I, more than anyone, I understand that and I know that. I’m not saying being critical of players. I’m saying being critical of the overall game of golf.”

McIlroy noted that the recreational game is flourishing, and said he wishes those storylines could be amplified.

“I think it’s more to do with the coverage of … I guess it’s true, but viewership is declining, and this is bad, and that’s bad, and they hate the fans, and they hate this,” McIlroy said. “I understand where they’re coming from, but surely it’s in everyone’s best interest to focus on the positives of the game where recreational golf has never been better, there’s more opportunities to play the game. Just stuff like that. Sometimes I wonder what their incentive is to be so negative at times.”

Given McIlroy’s elevated stature in the game — not only as one of the world’s best players, but also, more recently, as the Tour’s defacto spokesman — the pressure is seemingly always on to deliver top-tier performances in addition to eloquent policy analysis. It’s a big ask, and a burden that isn’t likely to lighten anytime soon, at least not until there is more concrete unity among LIV, PIF and the PGA Tour.

You can read Porter’s full interview with McIlroy here.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.