Rory McIlroy: “It's disappointing to lose the best player in the Players Championship''

Rory McIlroy worries that the fragmented nature of the current men's professional game is causing “fan interest in watching golf to decline”.

The economic appeal of LIV Golf has led dozens of players to leave the PGA Tour for the upstart Saudi-funded circuit.

And the split means some of the world's top players will not be attending this week's Players Championship in Florida.

“I don't think there's a quick solution,” McIlroy told BBC Sport.

“But everyone needs to put their emotions and egos aside and find a solution that allows us to get our best players back together every week.”

The Players Championship celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, but the $25 million PGA Tour's flagship event will be without 2022 winner Cameron Smith and reigning major champions Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm. There is. All three are currently playing on the LIV circuit alongside fellow major champions Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Sergio Garcia.

“This is the biggest tournament outside of the majors and we don't have the best players in the world here. That's a shame,” McIlroy added.

“Unfortunately, I think the fans are losing interest, so I hope this situation changes soon.

“I think in the wider world of golf, people focus on watching the majors four weeks a year, but I like to think that golf can be more important than just four weeks a year, so I think we should look at this sooner rather than later.” I can try to help you understand.'' The more you say, the better. ”

Meanwhile, defending champion Scottie Scheffler this week suggested fans upset about a broken bone in the game should “look at the players who are gone.”

“We went on tour. We were all together, but the people who left are no longer here. That's where the division comes from,” the world No. 1 said.

“When it comes to our tours, we do our best to create the best work for our fans, and that’s where we really reach.”

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan acknowledged that fans are “tired of hearing about the disputes and the money and who's getting what” as negotiations continue to sort out the future of the sport.

The U.S.-based PGA Tour, Europe's DP World Tour, and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which funds LIV, announced a “framework agreement” to combine their interests last June, giving the golf world a boost. It surprised me.

A self-imposed deadline of December 31 to finalize a deal was missed, but Mr Monaghan insisted talks were “accelerating” towards a “positive outcome”.

McIlroy will play in his 14th Players Championship this week and is eager to put on a strong performance as he looks to end his decade-long quest for a fifth major title.

The 34-year-old won the last of his four majors at the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla, but has finished in the top 10 19 times since then.

“I'm under no illusion that the clock is moving forward,” he said.

“It’s been 10 years since we won one of them and we had chances but it didn’t go our way.

“I just have to keep putting myself in those positions and sooner or later it will happen.”

He is aiming to win the Players Championship for the second time after 2019. He will then compete in the Texas Open just before the Masters in April, where if he wins he will become the sixth player to win all four career Grand Slams.

But after starting 2024 with a second place at the Dubai Invitational and a win at the Dubai Desert Classic, the world No. 2 finished 21st or worse in each of four events on the PGA Tour.

Asked how he's been doing this week, McIlroy, who has missed out on spots with six of the 13 players he's played so far, said: “Certain parts of the game feel as good as they've always been.'' But certain areas need improvement.”

“I'm driving the ball as well as I've always been, and I really figured out my putting last week at Bay Hill.

“I’m good off the tee and on the green, but I’m having trouble getting from the fairway to the green, and I’ve been working on fixing that over the last few days.

“I feel better on the driving range, but it's important to take that from the practice range to the track.

“If we start seeing some iron shots off the line, I think it’s going to be a really good week.”