Sports

Rory McIlroy denies rift between him and Tiger Woods despite disagreements: ‘There’s no strain there’

Published

7 months ago

May 11, 2024

They might not agree on what direction the sport should go, but Rory McIlroy insists his relationship with Tiger Woods is perfectly fine.

McIlroy said Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina that — despite a report that it was Woods who vetoed McIlroy rejoining the PGA Tour’s policy board — the two haven’t had a falling out. The longtime friends just aren’t necessarily agreeing on everything anymore.

“No, there’s no strain there,” McIlroy said of his relationship with Woods. “I think we might see the future of golf a little bit differently, but I don’t think that should place any strain on a relationship or on a friendship.”

McIlroy was going to take over Webb Simpson’s spot on the Tour’s policy board, though that was apparently met with pushback from other members. It wasn’t clear who, but McIlroy said earlier this week that things “got pretty complicated and pretty messy.”

McIlroy had resigned his seat last fall. He didn’t reveal who was pushing back on his move to get back on the board, and Simpson is instead going to remain in his seat through the end of his term. A report from The Telegraph said that it was Woods who voted against McIlroy joining again.

Rory McIlroy was going to rejoin the PGA Tour’s policy board, but he was met with pushback from other members. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

McIlroy has instead been named to the “transaction subcommittee,” which is being tasked with handling the day-to-day negotiations between the Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which backs LIV Golf. Those merger talks are still ongoing even months after the self-imposed deadline passed in December. The subcommittee will report back to the board. Woods is also on the committee, along with Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and others.

McIlroy, who was once one of the strongest opponents against LIV Golf, has since changed his stance on the Saudi Arabian-backed venture. Reuniting the golf world, he’s said repeatedly, is something that needs to happen sooner rather than later.

“It’s probably not going to feel great for either side, but if it’s a place where the game of golf starts to thrive again and we can all get back together, then I think that’s ultimately a really good thing,” McIlroy said on Wednesday.

McIlroy and Woods, despite seeing some things differently, are apparently still in a good place. The two will see each other next week at the PGA Championship, where Woods will be competing for the first time since The Masters, and they’re both behind the new TGL indoor golf league that is set to debut next year.

“I mean, I think friends can have disagreements or not see eye to eye on things but have disagreements on things,” McIlroy said. “I think that’s fine. But no, I wouldn’t say — we had a really good talk last Friday for 45 minutes just about a lot of different things.”