Rory McIlroy says he would welcome Brooks Koepka back to PGA Tour
PALM BEACH GARDENS — Rory McIlroy has been one of the leading critics of LIV Golf throughout the last four years of golf’s uncivil war.
McIlroy softened his stance during the past 12 months. Friday night, speaking for the first time about fellow Palm Beach County resident Brooks Koepka, who announced Dec. 24 he would be leaving LIV Golf a year before his contract ran out, McIlroy said he would welcome the five-time major champion back to the PGA Tour. But there are many factors that will go into that decision.
“Does it make sense if Brooks wanted to play the PGA Tour again to get him back as soon as possible? Absolutely,” McIlroy told The Palm Beach Post after his Boston Common won its first match in TGL history, a 7-5 victory over the Los Angeles Golf Club at the SoFi Center. “What Brooks has done in the game of golf, it would be good for everyone to have him back.
“It’s hard (because) you can’t treat one person differently than you treat others. And as much as the Tour would like to treat Brooks differently, it sets a legal precedent, because of the lawsuits that have been going on and everything else behind the scenes.
“He’s still exempt on Tour because of his major wins. That’s not the hurdle. The hurdle is how they have treated others that have tried to come back, serve suspensions, or whatever it is. That’s the difficult thing.”
The decision is not up to McIlroy. It’s up to the PGA Tour’s policy board, CEO Brian Rolapp and the rest of the Tour’s membership, who have equity in the Tour’s success.
But McIlroy’s stature as one of the world’s greatest golfers – the Jupiter resident won last year’s Masters to become the sixth player to capture the career Grand Slam – carries weight. He joined Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen in golf’s most exclusive club.
When Rory talks, people listen. And he knows professional golf is better when the top stars play together.
That’s especially the case with Palm Beach County’s PGA Tour event, the Cognizant Classic at PGA National. The Cognizant has struggled to draw a decent field in recent years because of its place on the PGA Tour schedule. McIlroy knows how much Koepka’s presence would lift that tournament.
“I think everyone understands the value that Brooks would bring to his hometown event or any event on the PGA Tour,” McIlroy said. “He’s a five-time major champion. But there’s more to it than just that. And that’s the hard part. The lawyers and the executives at the Tour, they’re the ones that are going to have to figure that out.”
Should the LIV golfers pay a price for turning their backs on the PGA Tour? McIlroy said they already have.
“They’ve made their money, but they’ve paid their consequence in terms of reputation and some of the things that they’ve lost by going over there,” he said.
McIlroy isn’t used to losing, but his Boston Common Golf team was the only TGL team to not win a match during last year’s inaugural season. They went 0-4-1 to finish last in the technology-infused league McIlroy co-founded with Woods.
“I think even Gene Sarazen won a TGL match,” McIlroy kidded.
Michael Thorbjornsen helps Boston Common defeat LA
Buoyed by newcomer Michael Thorbjornsen playing alongside veterans Keegan Bradley and McIlroy, Boston Common (1-0-0) finally got its first win in the TGL. Los Angeles’ squad of Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala was viewed as the top TGL team last year, going 4-0-1, but lost to the Atlanta Drive in the playoffs.
Thorbjornsen became the first player in league history to make four putts of 10-plus feet to fuel Boston Common’s win. His third one, a 17-footer at the 12th, gave Boston Common the lead for good, 6-5, over L.A. (0-1-0).
Thorbjornsen clinched the victory with an eagle on the last hole, thanks to making a 17-footer. At last, Boston Common got its first win.
“He was a stud tonight and he was the star of the show,” McIlroy said of Thorbjornsen. “It’s been a long time coming for Keegan and I. Not so long for Michael. He seems like a natural out there.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Brooks Koepka gets support from Rory McIlroy if he returns to PGA Tour
