Rory McIlroy is at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England, to play in the BMW PGA Championship. However, recent reports of negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) are the talk of the town, and the Northern Irishman discussed it as well.
McIlroy answered questions about the current state of the negotiations during a press conference prior to the event. In particular, the Northern Irishman was skeptical about LIV players in the Ryder Cup and the possibility of players like Ian Poulter captaining the event in the future.
This was part of what Rory McIlroy said (via Golf Monthly):
“I think it’s hard because we don’t really see them anymore… You know, you need someone around that’s comfortable. You look at what Luke [Donald] has done the last few years, he’s really made an effort to come over. He played in Czech Republic. He was in Switzerland.”
He added:
“With the guys that left, [Ian] Poulter, [Lee] Westwood, how can these young up and comers, you know, build a rapport with them when they are never here? You can’t see them. I think that’s a really important part of a Ryder Cup and a Ryder Cup captaincy.”
Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter (Image via Imagn).
According to a recent Bloomberg report, the PGA Tour and the PIF came close to a final agreement two weeks ago in New York. However, some issues remain unresolved, such as the future reinstatement of LIV players.
At the same time, Ian Poulter stated in an interview with Al Arabiya that he is not losing hope of captaining the European team at the Ryder Cup in the future.
Rory McIlroy: “My form at this tournament has been very good”
The BMW PGA Championship is one of the key stops on Rory McIlroy’s end-of-season schedule on the DP World Tour. The Northern Irishman said about the event during his press conference (via Golf Monthly):
“My form at this tournament over the last few years has been very good. So yeah, it would be nice to just get another win on the board.”
McIlroy won the 2014 BMW PGA Championship by one stroke over Shane Lowry. Eight years later, Lowry bounced back to win the title by one stroke over McIlroy and Jon Rahm.
The Northern Irishman also finished runner-up in 2018, when he lost to Francesco Molinari by two strokes.
McIlroy has played in three of the last five editions of the event, always with good results. In 2023, he finished tied for 7th, five shots behind winner Ryan Fox.
In 2022, he tied for second, one stroke behind his friend Shane Lowry. McIlroy missed the 2020 and 2021 editions, and in 2019, he finished tied for 9th, nine shots behind winner Danny Willett.
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Edited by Prathik BR
