Hidden meaning behind the LIV-vs-PGA match? Here’s what Rory McIlroy says

We learned last week that Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will take on Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in a match that pits stars of the PGA Tour vs. those of LIV Golf. They’ll face off in Las Vegas in December, and although it’s not officially a part of “The Match” franchise, it will feel similar.

It also will be Scheffler’s debut in a primetime TV match-play showdown, and, more importantly, the first time we lean into a PGA Tour-vs.-LIV format.

The exhibition also comes amid continuing talks between the PGA Tour and Saudi Public Investment Fund. The two sides reached a framework agreement on June 6, 2023, to continue discussions about a potential partnership, but an initial deadline to complete a deal passed at the end of the year. Conversations are still ongoing, though it’s unclear if any progress has been made.

One of many pros frustrated with the impasse has been McIlroy, who was a PGA Tour loyalist and later blindsided by commissioner Jay Monahan’s announcement of a framework agreement.

“It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel like a sacrificial lamb,” McIlroy said a day after the announcement. “Feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens.”

At the Tour Championship last month, McIlroy said he was irked with the lack of progress.

“I think anyone that cares about golf I think has to be frustrated,” he said. “I think anyone that cares about the PGA Tour has to be frustrated because we’re — we, the royal we — we’re not putting forward the absolute best product that we can.”

So when this latest match was announced, there was speculation that the PGA Tour-vs.-LIV angle doubled as McIlroy sending a message to those in charge. The leaders can’t bring the sides together? Fine, we’ll do it ourselves.

Was that his intention?

“I wouldn’t say it’s meant to send a message,” he said Wednesday at the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down. “It’s more we wanted to do something that all golf fans could get excited about.”

That said, as McIlroy continued to answer the question, it sounded more and more like the players were taking matters into their own hands, even if he didn’t come out and explicitly say it. After all, the next match will deliver fans something they have craved the last couple of years — the top golfers in the world playing together more often regardless of their affiliation.

“You’ve got the best player in the world,” McIlroy continued. “You’ve got two guys in Bryson and Brooks that have won majors in the last two years. You’ve got me in there who, I haven’t done what those guys have done the last couple years, but I’ve definitely been I feel one of the best players in the world. It’s a way to show golf fans in the world that this is what could happen or these are the possibilities going forward. I’ve been saying this for a long time: I think golf and golf fans get to see us together more than four times a year.

“I think that’s what we’ve tried to do. It’s in the middle of December. There’s not a lot going on in the game of golf. So trying to get people excited about something before the season starts again. I think we all thought it was a good idea and something that hopefully is a sign of things to come in the future.”

We’ll have to wait and see on that last part.

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.