McIlroy says PGA Tour merger with Saudis 'good for game,' still 'hates' LIV Golf

For the past year or so, four-time major champion Rory McIlroy took on a job besides golfer.

In addition to contending on Sundays, the Northern Irishman became the de facto spokesman of the PGA Tour in its rift with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League.

On Tuesday, the PGA Tour, the European DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced a merger — a move that took many, including McIlroy, by surprise.

On Wednesday, the 34-year-old took the podium at Toronto's Oakdale Golf and Country Club, one day before his attempt to win a third straight Canadian Open was set to begin.

He said the merger was ultimately the best move for the PGA Tour.

"Ultimately … when I look 10 years down the line, I think this is going to be good for the game of golf," he said. "It unifies it and it secures its financial future. So there's mixed emotions in there. I don't understand all the intricacies of what's going on. There's a lot of ambiguity, there's a lot of things still to be sort of thrashed out."

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For the previous year, McIlroy railed against LIV — presenting both moral arguments in terms of Saudi Arabia's questionable human rights record and legacy reasoning about how it means more to win on the PGA Tour, even without oil-fueled financial backing.

McIlroy was clear in saying the deal has "nothing to do" with LIV, even as the Tour gets into bed with the Saudis.

"I still hate LIV. I hate them. I hope it goes away and expect that it does."

The fallout from the shock announcement began Tuesday evening, when players met with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who explained the decision to suddenly merge with those funding their rival