It is four years to the day since Rory McIlroy made a strong claim about the future of LIV Golf that proved to be completely wrong.
It is remarkable to think that LIV Golf was still months away from hosting their first event this time four years ago, with so much happening since then.
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The 2022 Genesis Invitational at Riviera was somewhat overshadowed by comments reportedly made by Phil Mickelson, in which he spoke about his decision to hold talks with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.
Mickelson would be asked by Augusta National members to stay away from The Masters that year amid concerns that his presence would detract from the first major of the season.
What Rory McIlroy said about LIV Golf at Riviera in 2022
Joaquin Niemann won the Genesis that year. But it was statements made by one player who missed the cut and another who was not even in the field which really caught the eye.
Both Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson pledged their allegiance to the PGA Tour amid speculation that they would jump ship.
Speaking after his final round, Rory McIlroy was asked whether the new league had been killed off before it had even begun.
“Yeah, yeah. Who’s left? Who’s left to go? I mean, there’s no one. It’s dead in the water in my opinion. Yeah, I just can’t see any reason why anyone would go,” he said.
The claim Jon Rahm made about his PGA Tour future at the Genesis Invitational four years ago
It is fascinating to go back to that time and assess how some of the best players felt about the potential new league starting up. It was clear that the riches on offer were likely to cause one or two issues for the PGA Tour.
However, one of those who appeared that week to all but dismiss the idea of leaving for what would become LIV Golf was Jon Rahm.
“I made it very clear to my management team to not even bother me with it until this was something that was maybe real and it never came back. The only things I ever heard were from players. To me, again, the only thing you hear is, oh, Bryson got $135 million, this person got $100 million,” he said.
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“I already made more money in my life than I ever thought I was going to make, so that’s not the appealing part to me, right? Week in and week out over here you’re playing against the best players in the world. I don’t think the PGA Tour’s a bad product and it’s only going to get better.”
There have been plenty of occasions over the last few years where it has appeared that the PGA Tour’s position as the number one stage may be under threat.
LIV Golf looks to be here to stay, with Anthony Kim‘s win this past week finally demonstrating the league’s potential globally.
So McIlroy’s comments proved to be incredibly wide of the mark, even if the PGA Tour appears to have weathered the storm LIV created and emerged stronger.
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