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Rory McIlroy picks the event on the golfing calendar which needs to be promoted and elevated more by the PGA Tour

Photo by Steve  Christo/Corbis via Getty Images
Photo by Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty Images
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One of the biggest challenges for the PGA Tour and the owners of LIV Golf is deciding how the golfing landscape is going to look once the two sides have finally agreed a deal which brings the game back together.

While there were times initially when it appeared that both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf were desperate to see the other side struggle, there does seem to be a level of acceptance that both tours will now be involved in deciding the future of the game.

However, there appears to be no way for the tours to continue as they are while also offering the best players the chance to face off much more often than simply the four majors.

The large majority of the marquee events on both the PGA Tour and LIV take place before the end of September each year. Meanwhile, the DP World Tour has to be factored into the equation.

Rory McIlroy urges the PGA Tour to elevate one event in the future

All three tours will have to be prepared for compromise. And it seems that it is clear how Rory McIlroy wants to see the PGA Tour compromise.

Speaking to the media before the Players Championship, McIlroy suggested that he would like to see a more global tour – with one event in particular on his radar to be given more attention.

“Yeah, I think there’s an opportunity for it to be worldwide. Yeah, I feel like golf isn’t just played in America. It didn’t start in America. It’s played in a lot of other places in the world,” he said.

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy wins the Stonehaven Cup for 2013 at the Royal Australian Golf Club. Sydney, Australia,
Photo by Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty Images

“Look, the main source of capital for professional golf is in America, so the reason that tournaments are primarily and the bigger tournaments are primarily here is because of corporate America and the dollars that it brings into the game to fund some of the biggest championships in the world.

“But I think there is an opportunity to have some of the bigger tournaments outside of America. Like I’ve always been a worldwide player. I play all around the world. I start my year in the Middle East. I come over here. I go to the UK. After the FedExCup Playoffs I go back to Europe and play four or five events.

“Yeah, there’s an opportunity. I think we need bigger events in Australia. I think the Australian Open needs to be put up and sort of held to a higher — the Australian Open was always a very big tournament back in the day, and I think that could be one that could be elevated along with some others.

“But yeah, I think there’s certainly an opportunity there to be a little more global and worldwide.”

The claim Jack Nicklaus once made about the Australian Open

McIlroy has previously won the Australian Open – beating Adam Scott by one shot back in 2013. Jordan Spieth would then win in two of the next three years. However, the event has lot some of its prestige more recently, with the DP World Tour now the tour which sanctions the tournament.

But Australia certainly needs more top-level events. Adelaide is the sight of what has become LIV Golf’s biggest event. And of course, there are a number of outstanding Australian golfers across the tours.

Jack Nicklaus previously labelled the Australian Open the fifth major. So it would be fantastic to see more of the world’s best players push for the Land Down Under to get its chance to really shine again.