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After having been very close until a few months ago Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy would now have such different views for the future of golf that the two men would only maintain a cordial relationship.
Divide and rule.
The failed return of Rory McIlroy at the PGA Tour Players Committee reveals a new facet of the circuit war with internal dissensions appearing within the PGA Tour itself.
And not with just anyone.
Clan War
Besides Patrick Cantlaywith whom the relationship has only gotten worse since the stormy episode of the Ryder Cup in Rome, and Jordan Spieth who does not share Rory’s views on how the rapprochement with the LIV should be done, Tiger Woods would also have opposed the return of the Northern Irishman within the group of players in charge of voting on decisions concerning the destiny of the American circuit.
Tiger and Rory, friends and associates (within the TGL) are no longer on the same page about the future of golf.
The two men who have been the fiercest opponents of the emergence of the LIV for 2 years now have different visions when it comes to finding a consensus.
Woods alone at the helm
Tiger Woods will also be alone alongside Jay Monahan and three other members of the PGA Tour board during upcoming discussions with the Saudis of the PIF to find a hypothetical agreement.
The PGA Tour said Woods will serve on the “transactions subcommittee” of the board of directors PGA Tour Enterprises who will manage day-to-day negotiations as the PIF attempts to take stake in the new entity.
A story of big money then.
National Open and Global Tour
But for McIlroy the merger of PGA Tour a you DP World Tour with the LIV it is above all the promise of a world circuit, more global.
A vision which would above all imply a change in the mentality of American players as he explained on the sidelines of the Wells Fargo Championship Wednesday.
“For a more global calendar it would be desirable for American players who play all year round in the USA to agree to travel to play 12 tournaments per year outside the United States. This is an option to consider.”
The Northern Irish are campaigning in particular for a revaluation of historic national Opens like theOpen d’Irlande of course but alsoOpen de Francel’Australian Open and the South Africa Open.
But the Americans Cantlay, Spieth and Woods clearly don’t see it that way and want to preserve a circuit with a strong US identity.
What consequences for Rory’s future?
A typically American form of protectionism that Rory McIlroy is up against and which could have unexpected consequences on the future of the Northern Irish in the coming months.
Beyond the sporting rivalry in the Ryder Cup, it seems that the gap is growing a little more every day between Europeans and Americans behind the scenes of the war on the circuits.
To the point of convincing McIlroy to join Rahm and his former Ryder Cup partners on the dissident circuit?