It’s no secret that since LIV Golf’s founding in 2022, Rory McIlroy has been the PGA Tour’s best defender.
The Northern Irishman was staunchly in favor of the PGA Tour until very recently, but he has fallen out with many of the players who have switched to the PIF-backed breakaway series.
But McIlroy recently acknowledged that his tour wasn’t without its problems. The four-time Major champion acknowledged that PGA Tour executives could have done more to guarantee to their sponsors that the biggest players would be at the biggest events—something he acknowledged LIV had mastered from the start.
Prior to making his comeback at the Dubai Invitational this coming weekend, McIlroy proposed a significant alteration to the golf schedule that would make it more akin to the Formula 1 calendar and ensure high-profile publicity for tournaments all over the world.
Rory McIlroy proposed that Formula 1, one of the real “world” championships in international sports, serve as an inspiration for a new world tour schedule.
Twelve “designated events”—events with more exclusive fields, higher payouts, and the expectation of the game’s biggest names—will be included in the PGA Tour schedule as of 2024.
It appears that McIlroy thinks golf should adopt a “world championship” model, similar to what Formula 1 does. The 2024 Formula One schedule will feature 24 Grands Prix spread over 21 nations on five continents. Stylish races like the Singapore and Las Vegas GPs will be counterbalanced by prestigious races like the Monaco and Monza GPs.
The 34-year-old McIlroy attended the US Grand Prix last season, just after Europe’s commanding Ryder Cup victory. He recently joined the Alpine F1 team as an investor.
This weekend, Rory McIlroy begins his 2024 season at the Dubai Invitational. The following week, he will try to defend the Desert Classic title, which he won three times in January 2023.
