Northern Irish professional golfer Rory McIlroy has resigned from the PGA Tour’s Policy Board, with the American circuit embroiled in high level negotiations over how to fund its future.
McIlroy’s shock decision was revealed in a memo to the tour’s players issued by commissioner Jay Monahan, who thanked the golfer “for his dedication and commitment to the tour”.
Reports say at a time of unprecedented rancour and uncertainty in the men’s professional game, McIlroy had been a steadfast critic of the Saudi Arabia funded breakaway LIV tour and was regarded as an arch PGA Tour loyalist.
But McIlroy revealed he felt like “a sacrificial lamb” after a secret framework agreement between the main US and European tours and the Saudi Public Investment Fund was announced in June this year.
Since then, the Northern Irishman has been more reluctant to comment on the ongoing negotiations to settle the game’s future. McIlroy had served on the tour’s Player Advisory Council between 2019 and 2021, acting as chairman for the final year of that spell. He then became a player director on the board.