Rory McIlroy wants PGA Tour and LIV Golf to create Champions League-style Tour

Rory McIlroy keen for PGA Tour and LIV Golf to follow in footsteps of UEFA Champions League.

17 Jan 2024

Rory McIlroy wants PGA Tour and LIV Golf to create Champions League-style Tour — Rory McIlroy wants PGA Tour and LIV Golf to create Champions League-style…

Rory McIlroy believes the PGA Tour and LIV Golf should follow in the footsteps of football's UEFA Champions League by having all of the world's best players competing in one top global Tour.

McIlroy's latest comments from the Dubai Desert Classic come a week after he insisted his "dream scenario" is for one global Tour.

The World No.2 would like to see some sort of promotion system whereby the best of the best based on their standings that season compete in one unified league, just like you see in the world of European football.

'I view it like the Champions League'
Rory McIlroy hopes to see a framework in golf where at the very top level is a Champions League style tour where the very best can compete pic.twitter.com/BqetdzkRHq
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) January 17, 2024

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of his title defence at Emirates Golf Club, McIlroy said:

"So the way I view it is a bit like Champions League in football. It's like the best of the best in Europe, and then all of the other leagues feed up into it.

"All these players -- and there are, there's lots of different tours getting interest and a lot of great players. But if you want to create something that is real value for the game of golf, I think it's this top-level tour, and then all the other tours feed into it. That's my -- and there's promotion and relegation and you have to earn your way in, and you have to earn your spot to stay in, as well. I think that's really important, too.

"I think it has to be global in nature, and to me, you need to figure out a structure where all these other tours feed into that so it gives people a chance to come up."

Last week at the Dubai Invitational, McIlroy told the media:

"Going forward, if everything is on the table, venues have to be a big part of the consideration. We need to make sure the courses are worthy of the players who are going to be competing. My dream scenario is a world tour, with the proviso that corporate America has to remain a big part of it all. Saudi Arabia, too. That's just basic economics. But there is an untapped commercial opportunity out there. Investors always want to make a return on their money. Revenues at the PGA Tour right now are about $2.3 billion. So how do we get that number up to four or six? To me, it is by looking outward. They need to think internationally and spread their wings a bit. I've been banging that drum for a while."

On LIV Golf, McIlroy added:

"If it is done like the IPL cricket model, team competition has a chance in golf. 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."

Elsewhere in McIlroy's press conference from the Dubai Desert Classic, he outlined how golf coverage is consumed much differently by golf fans in 2024 than in previous years.

He also said "no offence" to the print media journalists in the media room.

Watch McIlroy's latest comments here:

“Legacy media is not what it once was…”
“We’re transitioning into a different world.”
“Golf is global.”
I think @McIlroyRory is only a few steps away from becoming a full fledged LIV bot at this point.
Or maybe he’s caught on that we’ve been right all along? @DubaiDCGolf pic.twitter.com/cib8r0w9eR
— Pro Golf Critic (@ProGolfCritic) January 17, 2024

What do you make of McIlroy making something of a U-turn on his past comments about LIV Golf? Do you think a new golf tour will be created that consists of the very best golfers in the world? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels.