There is no question what the most intriguing storyline was heading into season two of Full Swing, with the series capturing the golfing world’s reaction to the news that the PGA Tour and the PIF had signed the framework agreement.
June 2023 looks set to go down as one of the most important months in golf’s history. After a year of civil war, the golfing world was left stunned by the sight of Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan talking up the idea of unity as the framework agreement was announced.
Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of anger directed at Monahan. Many of the PGA Tour‘s biggest stars had to continually confirm their commitment to the tour as several of their peers jumped ship for incredible riches. And ultimately, they seemed to feel largely betrayed when Monahan did a deal anyway.
Of course, few players were more outspoken in their disdain for LIV Golf than Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman flew the flag for the PGA Tour higher than anyone else, and seemed to have little interest in maintaining any relationship with those who had gone to LIV.
How Rory McIlroy reacted to the framework agreement being announced
While virtually everyone knew about the framework agreement by the time Full Swing season two came out, many wanted to know what McIlroy really felt about the announcement.
Given how his stance has softened over the last couple of years, McIlroy’s view at the time makes for particularly interesting reading.
“There is a palpable vibe of confused and anger because we have had very little information now apart from basically entered into an agreement, don’t know what that agreement’s going to involve,” he said in episode two.
“What happened? How did you get from not knowing this guy and not meeting this guy to signing what is probably the biggest deal in the history of professional golf, what happened?
“You get dragged into these things from time to time, and I’ve been dragged in in a big way. I’m almost at the point where I think, f— it, do whatever you want to do.
“It was all sprung on us so quickly. Everyone was blindsided by it, and I think that created a lot of anger and a lot of confusion amongst the tour membership. Jay realised pretty quickly that the rollout of it could have been handled better.”
What Jay Monahan said before addressing the PGA Tour members
McIlroy was arguably incredibly charitable to Monahan given that he had defended the PGA Tour at every opportunity and been the most public supporter of the tour over the previous 12 months.
It seemed to be a completely tone-deaf move from the commissioner, particularly at a time when the players are seemingly meant to have so much power in choosing the direction the tour goes in.
Monahan would comment on the framework agreement announcement ahead of having the chance to address the players directly. And it seems that he could see how long everything was going to take even after the truce was confirmed.
“I want to be factual, want to be real. I just want to project the honest feelings that I have. There really isn’t going to be anything to report until we conclude discussions,” he said in the same episode.
“I think the uncomfortable thing is going to be fighting my tendency to want to answer questions, particularly around what the timing is. And I suspect the answer I have will not be palatable to the people in the room.”
It certainly gives you reason to understand why someone like Jon Rahm felt entitled to make the move later in the year. Rahm was not far behind McIlroy in how strongly he committed to staying on the PGA Tour.
But clearly, some players wondered why they should not take the money if the game was going to come back together anyway.
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