Rory McIlroy hopes LIV 'goes away,' has confidence in commish - ESPN

TORONTO — Rory McIlroy said he's resigned to the fact that the PGA Tour will have to accept money from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, but he's satisfied that the LIV Golf League won't be part of the alliance.

Speaking to reporters ahead of this week's RBC Canadian Open at Oakdale Golf and Country Club, McIlroy said Wednesday he believes the LIV Golf League is going away after this season.

«I still hate LIV,» McIlroy said. «Like, I hate LIV. I hope it goes away, and I would fully expect that it does. I think that's where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF — very different from LIV.»

McIlroy, one of the PGA Tour's most outspoken loyalists during its 18-month battle with the LIV Golf tour for the best players in the world, said he still has confidence in PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan but that «it's hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I've put myself out there and this is what happens.»

Monahan has been criticized for keeping PGA Tour members, including McIlroy, in the dark during negotiations with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, which is financing LIV Golf.

«I do,» McIlroy said about having confidence in Monahan. «And, look, I've dealt with Jay a lot closer than a lot of those guys have. From where we were a couple of weeks ago to where we are today, I think the future of the PGA Tour looks brighter as a whole, as an entity.»

McIlroy said Monahan's meeting with more than 100 PGA Tour players Tuesday was heated. McIlroy said much of the frustration came from players who are trying to keep their PGA Tour cards and fear that they'll lose spots in fields of future tournaments if