There hasn’t been a bigger poster child for the Tour since LIV came on to the scene than Rory Mcllroy. Whether intentional or not, Rory put the Tour on his back for nearly 2 years, even going so far as to answer questions when his own commissioner wouldn’t. 

So, I’m sure it came as a shock to many, if not all, when earlier this week he announced his resignation from the Tour’s Policy Board. While it may have seemed to have come completely out of left field, that announcement tells you all you need to know about Rory’s current relationship with Jay Monahan and the Tour as a whole. 

Yes, Rory is in the process of launching a new golf league. Yes, Rory has a family at home that he wants to spend more time with. But Rory has also been laid out to dry more than once over these last two years, and I’m guessing that had something to do with it too. 

Now, on the heels of the Tour formalizing their deal with the Saudis, a group that Rory very publicly turned down in the early days of LIV, Rory has thrown his hands up and called it quits…and who can really blame him? 

Your feelings about the current state of the men’s game aside, at its core, the Tour is getting into bed with the same entity that they pleaded with their membership not to get involved with. 

Do as I say and not as I do. 

Frankly, I’m surprised we haven’t seen more of the Tour’s most loyal follow Rory out the proverbial door. Jay has lost the room and doesn’t seem to be getting it back, at least not anytime soon. 

Even in his memo to his players announcing that they will have equity in the new, for-profit, arm of the Tour, he referenced questions he addressed to someone in his office and not him directly. The guy can’t get out of his own way. 

Rory decided that his time wasn’t worth it anymore and could be better spent focusing on other things, and that tells you all you need to know about his current relationship with the Tour.