Roundtable: Rory McIlroy’s vision for a global tour | Golf Today | Golf Channel

The Golf Today roundtable breaks down Rory McIlroy’s vision for a Champions League-style world golf tour, examining if the concept is realistic and somethin fans would want to see. #GolfChannel #GolfToday #RoryMcIlroy
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Roundtable: Rory McIlroy’s vision for a global tour | Golf Today | Golf Channel
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ON SATURDAY AT THE RIVIERA HE WAS EXPRESSING HIMSELF ON HOW TO 34 MAKE IT A GLOBAL GAME. >> I THINK IT’S ALL PIE IN THE SKY STUFF. IT’S ALL VERY — YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE HAS TO BE A COMPONENT OF THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, AUSTRALIA, SOUTH

AFRICA, OBVIOUSLY HAS TO BE A COMPONENT OF THE FAR EAST, KOREA, JAPAN, CHINA, OBVIOUSLY THE MIDDLE EAST AS WELL. WE’VE BEEN GOING TO THE MIDDLE EAST FOR A LONG TIME. BUT OBVIOUSLY DUBAI, SAUDI. AND THEN SORT OF WORKING OUR WAY FROM EAST TO WEST AND BACK INTO

THE UNITED STATES FOR THE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF SPRING/SUMMERTIME. YOU KNOW, I DON’T THINK IT’LL LOOK TOO DISSIMILAR TO WHAT IT IS RIGHT NOW, MAYBE THE FRONT END OF THE YEAR AND BACK END OF THE YEAR MIGHT LOOK DIFFERENT. I THINK THERE’S — I DON’T THINK

WE NEED TO BLOW EVERYTHING UP BUT THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME AT TWEAKS I THINK. >> I THINK FOR IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A GLOBAL — I THINK YOU HAVE TOURNAMENTS THAT LOOK A LITTLE BIT MORE LIKE THIS. >> WITH THOSE EVENTS, IN THEORY, FIT THE PGA TOUR AS WELL?

>> I WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE ONE TOUR. I THINK YOU CREATE A TOUR FOR THE TOP PLAYERS IN THE WORLD. THEN I THINK EVERYTHING FEEDS UP TO THAT ONE — YOU KNOW, THE WAY I LOOK AT IT LIKE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE IN EUROPEAN FOOTBALL IT

SITS ABOVE THE REST OF THE LEAGUES AND ALL THOSE LEAGUES FEED UP INTO THAT AND THE BEST OF THE BEST PLAY AGAINST EACH OTHER IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. THAT’S THE WAY I WOULD THINK ABOUT IT. >> YOU’VE BEEN DOING IT YOUR WHOLE CAREER.

DO YOU THINK THERE’S AN APPETITE AMONG AMERICANS? >> I THINK THERE’S MORE OF AN APPETITE THAN THERE USED TO BE. I THINK ABOUT MAX AND JT GOING TO SOUTH AFRICA AT THE END OF LAST YEAR AND PLAYING, MAX WINNING DOWN THERE. THERE’S MORE OF AN APPETITE FOR

THE YOUNG AMERICANS TO TRAVEL NOWADAYS COMPARED TO THE ’90s AND 2000s. AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT WORK FOR EVERYONE. BUT I THINK FOR THE MOST PART IT HAS TO WORK FOR FANS AND SPONSORS AND MEDIA. AND THEN IF YOU CAN HAVE IT WORK

FOR THEM AND, YOU KNOW, CREATE A PRODUCT THAT’S REALLY GOOD FOR THE FAN, THEN HONESTLY I THINK YOU HAVE TO CONVINCE THE PLAYERS TO BUY INTO IT BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT’S GOING TO BE BEST FOR THEM. ACTUALLY IF YOU’RE AN OWNER OF THAT. >> I THINK SO.

BUT AGAIN, I SAID THIS AT THE BACK END OF LAST YEAR. EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN INTEREST IN THE GAME. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAVE A FRACTURED LANDSCAPE AT THIS POINT, SO TRYING TO ALIGN EVERYONE’S INTEREST AND CONVINCE EVERYONE THIS IS THE RIGHT THING

TO DO FOR THE GAME OF GOLF AS A WHOLE. IF YOU CAN CONVINCE EVERYONE OF THAT, THEN IT WOULD BE PRETTY SIMPLE BUT RIGHT NOW IT’S TRYING TO GET EVERYONE ON THE SAME PAGE. >> I THINK THERE WOULD HAVE TO — SAY YOU DO A 24-EVENT

SCHEDULE, FOUR OF THOSE BEING THE MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS, I’D SAY AT LEAST HALF OF THOSE, IF NOT MORE. I MEAN, TEN OR 12. YOU STILL HAVE TO — THIS IS THE BIGGEST MARKET IN GOLF IN THE WORLD, SO YOU HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT.

THERE’S NO REASON WHY, YOU KNOW, FOR OTHER PARTS OF THE YEAR WE CAN’T GO FURTHER AFIELD AND PLAY IN SOME OF THE BIG MARKETS, I THINK WOULD BE BENEFICIAL. NOT JUST FOR THOSE MARKETS AND THOSE FANS BUT ALSO THE TOUR AS A WHOLE AND MEDIA PARTNERS AND

SPONSORS AND EVERYONE ELSE. >>> BACK TO THE ROUND TABLE WITH REX HOGGARD AND JOHNSON WAGNER. JOHNSON, I WANT TO ASK YOU FOR YOUR REACTION TO THIS CONCEPT OF THE GLOBAL TOUR THAT RORY PUT FORWARD. IN TWO RESPECTS BECAUSE THE EUROPEAN TOUR FOLLOWED A GLOBAL

SCHEDULE FOR THE BEST PART OF 20 YEARS NOW AND FOUND VERY LIMITED COMMERCIAL SUPPORT IN SOME OF THESE CORNERS OF THE WORLD THAT RORY SUGGESTS WE HAVE TO GO TO. SECONDLY IS IT REALISTIC. SECONDLY HOW DOES THE RANK AND FILE MEMBERSHIP REACT TO THAT CONCEPT ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE

WHO AREN’T GETTING AN INVITE TO COMPETE ON THAT TOUR? >> MY FIRST YEAR BACK ON THE PGA TOUR WAS 2007. THE FIRST YEAR OF THE FEDEXCUP. SO I’VE OFTEN THOUGHT AT SOME POINT IN MY CAREER WE WOULD SEE A 75-MAN TOUR. LET’S CALL IT THE FEDEX TOUR AND

THE PGA AND KORN FERRY COULD RUN TOGETHER AND RAISE THE PURSES IN THE KORN FERRY TO EARLY ’90s, 2000s, PGA LEVELS. GLOBALLY, I GO BACK TO THE RYDER CUP IN ROME, IT WAS HARD TO WATCH EVERY SHOT JUST GIVEN THE HOURS THAT IT COMES ON THAT IT’S

LIVE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. SO I DON’T WANT TO SOUND LIKE A NAIVE AMERICAN GOLF FAN, BUT I DON’T WANT TO SEE MY FAVORITE PLAYERS PLAYING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT IN THE UNITED STATES AND I CERTAINLY AM NOT GOING TO

RECORD IT AND WATCH IT LATER BECAUSE I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT HAPPENS. I SEE THE IDEA OF THE TOUR, I THINK THAT’S WHERE WE’RE HEADED. I THINK RORY HAS GREAT IDEAS BUT THE GLOBAL NATURE OF IT, I FIND IS GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE.

>> REX, I’M CURIOUS WHAT YOUR OPINION IS ON THIS. IS THERE ROOM ON THE ANNUAL SCHEDULE HE SPOKE MAYBE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, END OF THE YEAR, MAKING TWEAKS THE VAST MAJORITY STILL PLAYED IN THE UNITED STATES. IS THERE ROOM FOR GLOBAL EXPANSION?

>> I THINK IT’S INE EVIDENTABLE. WE CAN TALK ABOUT IF IT’S REALISTIC OR NOT. I WOULDN’T HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO WALK THE TIGHT ROPE AND POINT IT OUT. YOU HAVE PLAYERS, ADMINISTRATORS, TOUR OFFICIALS ON BOTH SIDES WHO ARE ENTRENCHED IN WHAT THEY’RE DOING.

IT’S NOT GOING TO BE AN EASY SELL. GO BACK TO THE LAST THREE WEEKS IN PROFESSIONAL GOLF. OUTSIDE OF A HANDFUL OF PLAYERS GETTING PAID, IT HASN’T BEEN GOOD FOR ANYONE. IT HASN’T BEEN GOOD FOR THE CORPORATE PARTNERS ORPHANS OR MEDIA PARTNERS OR ANYBODY ELSE

WHEN YOU HAVE THE FRACTURED LANDSCAPE AND RORY IS TALKING ABOUT SOME VERSION OF UNIFICATION. I UNDERSTAND WHERE JOHNSON IS COMING FROM WITH THE IDEA IF IT HAPPENS IN THE 2024 EVENTS, WHATEVER RORY ELUDED TO, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE OTHER EVENTS, AND

I THINK THERE’S ROOM IN THAT LANDSCAPE FOR THOSE EVENTS THE WAY RORY DESCRIBES THIS AND EAMON CAN PROBABLY OUTLINE IT BETTER THAN I CAN. BUT LOOK AT THE PYRAMID YOU HAVE IN EUROPEAN SOCCER. YOU START AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID AND YOU WANT TO WORK

YOUR WAY UP. IF THEY CAN COME UP WITH A SYSTEM, AS RORY POINTED OUT, YOU HAVE TO SELL IT TO EVERYONE INVOLVED BUT I THINK IT’S INEVITABLE. >> REX, WE BASICALLY HAVE THAT SET UP ANYWAY THE LAST BUNCH OF YEARS THERE’S BEEN A SIGNATURE

SERIES LEVELS OF EVENTS AND THEN THE BOTTOM TIER. NOW RORY WANTS TO MAKE IT KNOWN WE HAVE IT THAT WAY. WE HAVE A SEPARATE TOUR FOR THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD. THERE HAS TO BE TURNOVERS. A YEAR LIKE JUSTIN THOMAS HAD LAST YEAR, MAYBE JUSTIN THOMAS

HAS TO FALL BACK DOWN TO A SMALLESM SMALLER TOUR, BRINGING VALUE TO THE SMALLER EVENTS. >> LET’S STAY WITH THIS FOR A SECOND BECAUSE THE IDEA WE HAVE OF POTENTIAL UNIFICATION. GREG NORMAN SAID ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT HE WAS LAUGHING AT THE

WORLD RANKINGS SAYING IF NOT FOR TWO RECENT SIGNINGS TO LIV, JON RAHM AND TERRILL HATTON, THEY WOULD HAVE TWO PLAYERS IN THE TOP 50s. WHEN IS IT TIME TO STOP LAUGHING. >> THEY KNEW THERE WAS NO WORLD RANKING POINTS UNLESS THEY WERE

SOLD A BILL OF GOODS BY NORMAN, AND I THINK THEY WERE. THIS IS THE RISK. YOUR TOUR DOESN’T QUALIFY FOR POINTS. I THINK THE OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING BOARD GAVE THEM OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE CHANGES AND THEY WOULD HAVE HAD IT BUT THEY WERE STUBBORN AND DIDN’T.

THAT’S THE WAY IT IS. THESE GUYS ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DROP OUTSIDE. YOU SEE THEM PLAYING IN TOURNAMENTS IN ASIA. IF YOU DON’T PLAY WELL IN THE MAJORS YOU FALL OUTSIDE OF THE TOP 50. IT’S THE REALITY. IT’S TIME TO STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT IT BECAUSE I’M OVER IT.

I’M OVER THIS. >> IT’S FUNNY THAT NORMAN PUTS THIS OUT AFTER CARLOS ORTIZ ADMITTED HE WAS LIED TO. HE SAID HE WAS TOLD THEY WOULD GET WORLD RANKING POINTS WHICH IS NOT IN THE GIFT OF NORMAN TO GRANT THEM. IS THIS THE PR BATTLE THEY SEEK

TO UNDER MINE WHATEVER INSTITUTION IN THE GAME WON’T GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT AT ANY POINT IN TIME? >> I’M GOING TO TRY TO MAKE THIS MORE NUANCED. THE FIRST PART WOULD BE IF YOU LOOK AT THE WORLD RANKING, THE TOP 50 THAT GREG NORMAN WAS

POINTING OUT. THERE ARE A LOT OF PLAYERS WHO AREN’T IN THE TOP 50 THAT WE SHOULD ARGUE SHOULD BE INSIDE THE TOP 50 AND ARGUE THEY SHOULD PROBABLY BE IN THE MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS. THAT’S A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION. THERE ARE THINGS AND GROUND TO

BE COVERED AND I THINK THERE’S ROOM FOR COMPROMISE. THE OTHER PART WHERE HE’S ARGUING ABOUT GETTING WORLD RANKING POINTS, GREG NORMAN IS ARGUING ABOUT GETTING WORLD RANKING POINTS FOR LIV GOLF IT’S A STRAWMAN ARGUMENT. FROM THE BEGINNING THEY DIDN’T LIKE THIS CONCEPT.

THEY DON’T GIVE WORLD RANKING POINTS TO THE FINISHERS AT THE ZURICH CLASSIC BECAUSE THERE’S A TEAM ELEMENT TO IT. FORGET IT BEING 54 HOLES, A SMALL FIELD, THOSE ARE FIXABLE. THE TEAM CONCEPT THEY COULD NOT. AND LIV GOLF DECIDED TO DIG IN. IT’S ON GREG NORMAN.

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WORLD GOLF RANKING. >> FOR MY PART, I THINK TO YOUR POINT, REX, THERE ARE PLAYERS CURRENTLY PLAYING ON THAT TOUR THAT WE KNOW SHOULD BE RANKED IN THE TOP 50 IN THE WORLD. THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND A

PATHWAY, I’M NOT PUTTING THIS ONUS ON LIV OR THE WORLD GOLF RANKINGS. I THINK THEY COULD HAVE COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAVE LED THEM DOWN A ROAD. >> AS WE WRAP UP IN OUR PANEL DISCUS. I WANTED TO ASK YOU GUYS AS WE

STARTED TO SAY WHAT ARE YOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM 2024, LET’S BE FORWARD THINKING HERE FOR A SECOND AND REX, I’D LIKE TO START WITH YOU ON THIS ONE. FOR THE REST OF 2024, IN A PERFECT WORLD WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN?

>> I THINK WE GET AN EQUALIBRIUM. YOU TALKED ABOUT SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER STRUGGLING ON HIS PUTTS ON THE WEST COAST. HOWEVER AS EAMON POINTED OUT, LET’S SEE THE GREENS IN FLORIDA WITH BERMUDA GRASS, YOU DON’T HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE FOOTPRINTS LATE IN THE AFTERNOON.

SEE IF THE SYSTEM PLAYS OUT A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN IT DID ON THE WEST COAST. I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT’S NOT WHAT THE TOUR WAS LOOKING FOR WITH THE WINNERS THEY ENDED UP WITH. GOOD STORIES BUT NOT THE STARS THEY WERE LOOKING FOR.

I AGREE 100%, THE FLORIDA SWING IS WHEN EVERYTHING COMES TOGETHER AND YOU CAN MAKE SOME SORT OF AT LEAST SHORT TERM JUDGMENT ON WHERE THE PGA TOUR IS RIGHT NOW. >> THE SIGNATURE EVENTS, THEY WERE A LITTLE — I WAS AT BOTH

RIV AND PEBBLE IN DIFFERENT CAPACITIES. PEBBLE WAS A LITTLE FLAT TO ME. IT WAS A SHAME WITH THE WEATHER. I THINK SUNDAY COULD HAVE BEEN OUTSTANDING HAD IT BEEN A TYPICAL NICE, PEBBLE DAY. IT GOES BACK TO THE POINT I LIKE TO SEE 120-MAN FIELD IN THESE EVENTS.

WHAT MAKES THE STARS GREAT ARE THE PEOPLE THEY HAVE TO BE TO GET THERE. THE MORE PLAYERS AND THE MORE OPPORTUNITIES, I WISH GOING FORWARD THAT THEY COULD INCREASE THE SIZE OF IT. WHEN YOU HEAR PLAYERS LIKE RORY WANTING AN 80-MAN WORLD TOUR I

DON’T THINK THAT’S THE DIRECTION WE’RE HEADED ANY TIME SOON. >> EXCELLENT DISCUSSION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR