Rory On World Tour: "It might be a catalyst for some changes on this tour"

Following his Farmers Insurance Open third round 67, Rory McIlroy joked with us assembled scribblers about the world tour concept upon taking the microphone. Eventually, he was asked about his thoughts on the Premier Golf League concept.

McIlroy’s entire answer:

Q. Rory, can you say what you know about that World Tour? Have you been approached or where 

RORY McILROY: Those guys have been talking to a few of us for six years. They approached me at the end of 2014.

You know, it's a hard one. I think it's…like I love the PGA TOUR, but they definitely, these guys have exploited a couple of holes in the system the way that  the way golf at the highest level is nowadays and how it's sort of transitioned from, you know, a competition tour to entertainment, right? It's on TV, it's people coming out to watch. It's definitely a different time than what it was before.

But I love the PGA TOUR, I love the way golf is set up right now, so it might be that  it might be the catalyst for something a little bit different out here as well, who knows.

But I certainly wouldn't want to lose what's been built in the last 40 or 50 years, tournaments like this, tournaments like Riviera in a couple weeks' time, everything that we have gotten to know and love over the years. I'm still quite a traditionalist, so to have that much of an upheaval in the game I don't think is the right step forward. But I think, as I said, it might be a catalyst for some changes on this tour that can help it grow and move forward and, you know, reward the top players the way they should be, I guess.

It’s noteworthy that he’s expressing a sense of top players that they are underpaid. And that the “product” needs work. And he’s not wrong.