Rory McIlroy criticised for making move which was ‘detrimental’ to golf as Justin Thomas pens message to PGA Tour members, holistically brutal after receiving the..
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Rory McIlroy criticised for making move which was ‘detrimental’ to golf as Justin Thomas pens message to PGA Tour members, holistically brutal after receiving the..
Nothing perhaps summed up the fatigue fans feel about the current game than the poor viewing figures The Showdown received in December. That really should have been a home run with four of the world’s biggest players – two from each side of the fence – facing off at a time of the year when there is little to be excited about across the golfing landscape. But that was not the case.
Justin Thomas has looked to take action, encouraging all PGA Tour members to be much more hospitable to the broadcasters. The two-time major champion suggested getting more personality across will only help the game grow. Plenty of fans supported Thomas’ view.
But clearly, it is going to be a culture shock for a number of players.
Rory McIlroy criticised as Justin Thomas’ idea for PGA Tour members is discussed
One of the most iconic moments of 2024 unfortunately came when the camera cut to Rory McIlroy‘s reaction as Bryson DeChambeau holed the winning putt at the US Open. McIlroy looked absolutely devastated after having the tournament in his grasp.
McIlroy surprised DeChambeau by immediately leaving Pinehurst. That also meant that the Northern Irishman did not speak to the media. And speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Rex Hoggard suggested that he is particularly in favour of Thomas’ idea following McIlroy’s reaction.
Justin Thomas of the United States speaks to the media during a press conference prior to the Hero World Challenge 2024 at Albany Golf Course on De…
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
“I know how difficult it is in a situation like JT on Sunday afternoon [at The American Express]. He came up short and wants to break through. You can see that it is starting to aggravate him. He sat and talked. He talked to me and the reporters. And I keep going back to Pinehurst and the US Open,” he said.
“I have been pretty clear about this. Nobody is a bigger fan of Rory McIlroy than I am but in that moment when he chose not to talk to the media, I think it was detrimental to the sport. It was certainly detrimental to the broadcast. Because even if he didn’t have anything to say, which was his excuse when we talked to him a few weeks later. Even in that context, you get an idea of how painful that was and I think that is meaningful.”
TGL week three highlighted the work which still needs to be done
In fairness to McIlroy, he has been the man the press can rely on to talk about virtually anything in golf over the last few years. He has never shied away from giving his opinion about LIV Golf, in particular.
Golf definitely needs characters to shine through right now. Both Patrick Cantlay and Cameron Young were criticised by fans following their TGL debuts on Tuesday night. Neither player seemed at all comfortable with the idea of having fun in the SoFi Center.
Clearly, that is not the only problem. Players giving more access is not going to solve everything. But it will help attract fans if they see more of a side of the best players that they really like.
