Rory McIlroy responds to letter from PGA Tour player after a couple of statements which he thinks were ‘pointed’ at him

Add as preferred source on Google

Rory McIlroy has been dividing his time between the PGA Tour and TGL so far in 2025, already picking up one win on the former.

Eddie Pepperell compared McIlroy to Tiger Woods after the Northern Irishman won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California.

Four-time major winner McIlroy edged out Shane Lowry on his first PGA Tour start of the season, before quickly making a return to TGL.

In Florida, however, he has suffered back-to-back defeats, losing to Jupiter Links Golf Club and Los Angeles Golf Club.

The PGA Tour meanwhile is back this week at the WM Phoenix Open, with McIlroy not among those taking part.

Rory McIlroy not happy with ‘pointed’ statements in Charley Hoffman’s PGA Tour letter

His commitments such as TGL recently came under fire, with four-time PGA Tour winner Charley Hoffman having written a letter to his fellow tour members, addressing issues such as slow play and exterior commitments.

Asked in his latest TGL press conference if such commitments have altered his PGA Tour schedule, McIlroy replied: “I think the thing he forgot to mention is the PGA Tour owns 20 per cent of TGL, so he’s criticising his own product.

READ MORE: Rory McIlroy posts message on Instagram after winning the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach

“They also own a good chunk of European Tour Productions, so again… I thought some of the elements of the letter were fine, addressed some issues.

“He was criticising the Aon Swing 5. He was sixth in that. He talks about having it be for the good of the tour, but he’s also talking about himself, as well.

“I thought a couple of them were pointed at me a little bit because TGL, Race to Dubai, non-PGA Tour events like The Showdown that Scottie [Scheffler] and I did in December, I’ve been vocal about not wanting to play quite as much so it seemed like it was pointed at me.

“Yeah, I mean, look, what every player has to do is look out for themselves. We have to do what’s best for our own individual careers, and yes, at the back of our mind try to do whatever we can to help the tour, but I think the best way for any of us to help the tour is to tee it up and play as best we can.”

What did Charley Hoffman say in PGA Tour letter to annoy Rory McIlroy?

As he alluded to, McIlroy wants to cut down his schedule in 2025, with that approach certainly proven dividends in these early stages.

But he clearly isn’t happy with some aspects of Hoffman’s later, which could definitely be seen as a direct criticism of McIlroy given the specifics he went into.

READ MORE: Rory McIlroy responds when asked how close he is to playing the best golf he ever has after winning at Pebble Beach

Hoffman, who served on the Player Advisory Council multiple times and on the PGA Tour’s Policy Board, stated: “If we truly care about strengthening our tour, we should be supporting as many PGA Tour events as we can.

“Many of you keep saying you want to play fewer events, yet you still find time for TGL, Race to Dubai, and other non-PGA Tour events, and that’s going to continue regardless of field size.”

It isn’t the first such letter amid a difficult time for the PGA Tour, with Justin Thomas recently imploring golfers to be more accommodating to broadcast partners.

Despite plans to play less golf, McIlroy took on Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka alongside Scheffler in an exhibition event in December.

And he is one of 24 PGA Tour players involved in the inaugural TGL season, although the event is certainly not as physically demanding as a regular tournament given that it is a mix of hybrid and real-life golf played in an indoor arena.