Rory McIlroy has been the dream ambassador for golf over the last decade.
He hasn’t got every decision right, or always said the right thing at the right time, but something you could never accuse McIlroy of is shying away from his responsibilities as the face of golf.
The career grand slam winner has stepped into the shoes of Tiger Woods and passionately represented the sport when it needed it most. And he continues to do so to this day.
When asked about LIV Golf’s future prior to the PGA Championship, he sarcastically said, “Yes. Love talking about this.” But while he is clearly tired of the LIV questions, he gave an insightful answer anyway. He understands that it is part of his role to share his thoughts on these issues.
That’s not something McIlroy shares with Scottie Scheffler, and his response to the LIV question before the PGA made Scheffler’s attitude a few weeks ago look even worse.
Rory McIlroy makes Scottie Scheffler’s response to LIV Golf question look even worse
Scheffler is far more hesitant to speak on golf’s biggest issues than McIlroy is. When LIV Golf was first formed, he was far less outspoken than McIlroy, who acted as the face of the PGA Tour and stepped into the front lines of golf’s civil war.
And despite being golf’s undisputed number one, Scheffler is still reluctant to speak on behalf of the sport. When asked about LIV’s future at Doral, he said, “I just got off the golf course. I don’t know what you want from me.”
Neither Scheffler or McIlroy particularly wanted to speak about LIV, but while McIlroy rose to his responsibilities, Scheffler dismissed the question. That just highlights Scheffler’s hesitancy to step into the role as the face of golf.
That presents an issue for the PGA Tour. McIlroy is playing less and less, and Scheffler at the age of 29 isn’t going anywhere. He could be the best player in the sport for the next decade.
Eventually, Scheffler needs to take on this responsibility for the good of golf. How long can he rely on McIlroy to speak up, as he hides behind him?
Scottie Scheffler says how he feels about LIV Golf questions
Scheffler was asked prior to the PGA Championship how he feels about receiving big questions because he is world number one. He said he’ll answer any question honestly, as long as it’s in the right forum.
Scheffler said, “I think when it comes to like the bigger issues in the game of golf, like I just try to answer them as honestly as I can. I think there’s also like a time and a place for them. I think in a forum like this where I’m going to be sitting and talking for a bit longer, it’s a lot easier to talk about those types of discussions.
“Also, if I’m sitting one-on-one with somebody, that’s a lot easier for me to talk about something as complex as the golf ball rollback. That’s a complex issue, I think, in the game of golf. The fix is a lot — it’s simpler, but it’s also more complicated when you look at — it’s just a longer discussion.
“So I think there’s a time and a place for it. But when I get asked questions, I try to answer them as honestly as I can. I don’t really feel like there’s any sort of extra things that I need to do. It’s just if somebody wants to ask me a question about LIV guys or the golf ball rollback, like I’ll try to give you the best answer I can in the right forum.”
Unfortunately as the best player in the world, you never know when a big question is coming your way. You must always be prepared for it, and always be ready to answer.
Every other player who was asked about LIV at Doral answered insightfully, so Scheffler being the only one who was unwilling to talk simply isn’t good enough for a player of his stature.
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