Rory McIlroy believes the shock merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf will 'ultimately be good for the game of professional golf', but admits he has mixed emotions over it.
The world number three, one of the most vocal critics of the LIV Tour, broke his silence on the merger in Toronto on Wednesday afternoon for this first time since it was announced on Tuesday.
“It was a surprise, I knew there had been discussions going on in the background but I didn’t expect it to happen as quickly as it did,” McIlroy said in a press conference ahead of the RBC Canadian Open.
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He added: “I gather the (PGA) Tour felt they were in a real position of strength coming off the DP World Tour winning their legal case in London; it weakened the other side’s position.
“I think ultimately when I try to remove myself from the situation and try to look at the bigger picture and I look 10 years down the line, I think ultimately it’s going to be good for the game of professional golf.
“It unifies it and secures its financial future. There’s mixed emotions in there as well.
“I don’t understand all the intricacies of what’s going on. There is a lot of ambiguity, a lot to still be thrashed out but at least it means the litigation goes away, which has been a massive burden for everyone and we can start to work toward some kind of way of unifying the game at the elite level.”
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