While Rory McIlroy has been one of the PGA Tour’s most loyal stars, they may have recently given him another reason to ponder an eventual move to their rivals, LIV Golf.
The war between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has raged on for the better part of a year. Despite the league that’s backed by the Saudi Arabian government not having the prestige of the legendary tour, it has the sort of wealth that the PGA can’t match.
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That is why elite and world-famous PGA stars like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith ended up taking their talents to LIV Golf for massive signing bonuses and the tournament purses the new tour offers. However, despite the opportunity to become the highest paid golf ever, Rory McIlroy has resisted switching sides.
Part of that is his reverence for the PGA’s history and relevance in the sport, but also the Tour’s attempts to raise player income by increasing tournament winnings and through their PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program (PIP).
Rory McIlroy World Golf Rankings: 3rd
The PIP rewards top stars with millions in bonuses for competing in many of the Tour’s events each year. Through the program, top players need to compete in the 12 designated events this season, but it seems Rory McIlroy won’t be meeting that requirement in 2023.
The Irish superstar withdrew from this week’s RBC Heritage tournament, which would be the second this year after already sitting out of the Sentry Tournament of Champions. The PGA Tour allows for one missed event, but with Rory McIlroy now missing a second designated event, Sports Illustrated reported on Thursday that he will be docked one-fourth of the $12 million payout he was set to make.
That means that the third player in the Golf World Rankings will lose out on $3 million this year. Now, that was bonus money for just competing, however, if bonuses were a concession in McIlroy staying with the PGA instead of going to LIV, these strict guidelines will certainly make the golfer wonder if the financial grass could be far greener on the LIV side.
In LIV, McIlroy would likely make more money for less effort, and with him having a growing family, that certainly has to be appealing.