There was surprise news from the golfing world this week, with Rory McIlroy seeing his return to the PGA Tour policy board blocked after a vote involving the likes of Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay.
For a little while, it had appeared that Rory McIlroy was in line to return to the board as the game continues to try and find a way through the civil war.
Following the resignation of Webb Simpson, McIlroy recently gave a very strong hint that he was hoping to return to the policy board and play a role in the talks with PIF.
But it now appears that the Northern Irishman will remain in the background on that front after a vote went against the four-time major champion.
Tiger Woods voted against Rory McIlroy returning to PGA Tour policy board
In fact, according to The Telegraph, both Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay were amongst those to vote to block McIlroy coming back onto the board.
It is a surprise to hear that Woods, in particular, decided against supporting McIlroy’s return, with the report noting that the pair are friends, with Woods and McIlroy jointly-launching TGL which is set to begin in 2025.
And it will be very interesting to see how this decision impacts both McIlroy and the talks between the PGA Tour and PIF.
Decision throws up even more questions about game’s immediate future
The Telegraph notes that Cantlay is one of those against the idea of Saudi investment in the tour, so there are clearly going to be a lot of hard discussions before any resolution is found.
Meanwhile, there has been plenty of speculation that McIlroy could even join LIV Golf in recent months, so his expected return to the policy board appeared to put paid to that.
McIlroy insisted that there was nothing in the rumours of a move to LIV, but it will be fascinating to see if this opens up a fresh debate on where he will decide to play his golf.
As things stand, it is hard to know from the outside what the implications of this decision will be. But once again, golf appears to have found a way to create some intriguing drama.
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