Have Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods played on the same team? Exploring the golfers’ team play dynamics amid LIV Golf discussions
Although Rory McIlroy rejected the PIF's proposal of him and Tiger Woods owning a team on LIV Golf, it sparked a new controversy over what could have happened if the duo had accepted the deal.
Earlier this week, it was revealed in a US Senate hearing that McIlroy and Woods were offered to co-own a LIV Golf team and to play at least 10 events on the breakaway circuit.
The proposal read:
LIV is proposing that Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods would own teams and play in at least up to 10 LIV events
McIlroy rejected the idea and said he would prefer retiring over joining LIV. If he wanted to join, he could still play on the circuit without getting penalized, as the clause was removed from the framework recently.
The PGA Tour's statement read:
"Based on discussions with staff at the Department of Justice, we chose to remove specific language from the Framework Agreement. While we believe the language is lawful, we also consider it unnecessary in the spirit of cooperation and because all parties are negotiating in good faith."
McIlroy and Woods have been close friends for long and are associated with several ventures. However, there have not been many occasions when the duo has played together, as the PGA Tour doesn't have many team-format events.
Tiger and Rory were last seen playing together at Capital One's The Match last December. However, the duo was beaten by Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
Outside the golf course, Rory and Woods have also invested together in business. Last year, the duo announced TGL, a new tech-infused league that will start in 2024.
Rory McIlroy still trusts Jay Monahan amid trust issues
Rory McIlroy said this week that his trust in PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan was still intact, unlike that of other PGA Tour members.
For the uninitiated, most of the players were kept in the dark about the deal between the PGA Tour and PIF. Since the day the deal was announced, players have expressed their disappointment directly and indirectly.
Earlier this week, when some more details of the deal between the rivals came out in public after the US Senate hearing, it raised further questions.
Earlier this week, Jordan Spieth talked about how the news was a shock for him and everyone else. He added that Monahan had a few trust issues to navigate.
Xander Schauffele also said he didn't trust Monahan as much as he used. He said, as per ASAP Sports:
"I'd say he has a lot of tough questions to answer in his return, and yeah, I don't trust people easily. He had my trust and he has a lot less of it now."
Despite all the questions from his colleagues, McIlroy is still backing Monahan. Speaking at the press conference of the Scottish Open, he said, as per the Mirror:
"I sort of knew what was going on, so I wasn't quite as in the dark as some of the other guys, but yeah, people felt blindsided by it, and I can obviously understand why Jordan and Xander and a lot of other guys would feel that way."