Justin Rose has revealed he and Rory McIlroy agreed they would avoid speaking about the PGA Tour and DP World Tour’s LIV Golf merger as they teed off at the Canadian Open.
In a shock move, on Tuesday morning the PGA and European Tours signed an agreement with LIV Golf to combine their businesses into a new ‘collectively owned entity’.
Rose and McIlroy – who decided against signing for LIV Golf when it was first established in June 2022 – said they would avoid discussing the merger to concentrate on the job at hand.
However, Rose did share his opinion on the merger after their round of golf – claiming the LIV players have more to be worried about than those who stayed faithful to the PGA Tour.
McIlroy revealed the details of their pact, saying: ‘Rosie and I said, ‘All right, no chatting until lunch so that we can actually concentrate on what we’re doing out there’.
Rory McIlroy has revealed he and Justin Rose agreed they would avoid speaking about the PGA Tour and DP World Tour’s LIV Golf merger as they teed off at the Canadian Open
Speaking about their round, McIlroy said it was nice to focus on something else
Rose went on to discuss how he had ‘sacrificed a lot as well in terms of ranking’
‘We started to get in a conversation walking down the first [hole] and we’re like, ‘No, let’s stop this. Let’s just focus on our golf and we’ll say what we want to say when we get inside’.’
Speaking after the Canadian Open first round, McIlroy said: ‘So, it was nice to play a round of golf and focus on something else for those five hours we were out there.’
Meanwhile, Rose went on to discuss the implications of the merger – claiming the LIV players had more to be worried about than those who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour.
‘The headline seems like it’s just going to be this very smooth transition and, ‘Come on back, boys, it’s all done now”, Rose said.
‘I don’t think that’s the case. I still think I’m happy where I am. I’d probably be more concerned if I was on LIV right now than on the PGA Tour.
‘They have sacrificed a lot as well in terms of ranking and all these types of things. So, there might not be such an easy step for a few of them if that’s the case, if it comes down to, you know, exemptions and what your categories are on the PGA Tour.’
The surprising merger announcement came less than one year after PGA commissioner Jay Monahan insisted such an arrangement was ‘off the table.’
Many loyal PGA stars have expressed their surprise and a sense of betrayal after shunning lucrative moves to join the Saudi-backed golf series.
McIlroy had been by far the most vocal critic of the breakaway series, claiming last July that ‘there’s no room in the golf world’ for the circuit.
The Northern Irishman even went on to add that he would be ‘super happy’ if LIV Golf ‘went away tomorrow’.
McIlroy earned admiration from many for his stance, with the star having turned down an offer reportedly worth in the region of £400million to join LIV .
In a shock move, on Tuesday morning the PGA and European Tours signed an agreement with LIV Golf to combine their businesses into a new ‘collectively owned entity’
McIlroy had been by far the most vocal critic of the breakaway series, claiming last July that ‘there’s no room in the golf world’ for the circuit
Rose’s stance was never as strong as McIlroy’s. Rose said he was still friends with those that made the jump despite the hostility between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf
Rose also turned down the opportunity to sign with LIV – telling The Telegraph: ‘Access to the major championships is a large part of my decision to be playing where I’m playing, for sure.
‘Obviously playing in events like this that have a great history, that give access to iconic golf courses, all of those things. Winning events that really matter.
‘Yeah, but first and foremost playing in major championship golf. It’s something – I have won one, but that’s where my childhood dreams lay. Having access to that was really, really important to me going forward.’
However, Rose’s stance was never as strong as McIlroy’s. Rose said he was still friends with those that made the jump despite the hostility between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
