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Tag: Rory
Who is Rory McIlroy’s wife? Meet Erica Stoll
They’ve been married since 2017, but who is Rory McIlroy’s wife? Here’s what you need to know
Who is Rory McIlroy’s wife? That’s the reason we’re all here, so let’s dive in.
McIlroy’s first high-profile relationship was with Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. The pair were together from 2011 to 2014 and got engaged on New Year’s Eve in 2013. But in May, McIlroy announced the relationship was over.
“The problem is mine,” he said at the time. “The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realize that I wasn’t ready for all that marriage entails.
“I wish Caroline all the happiness she deserves and thank her for the great times we’ve had.”
Wozniacki – who is now married to former NBA player David Lee, with whom she has two children, Olivia and James – later revealed McIlroy had ended their relationship with a brief phone call.
McIlroy was then romantically linked with Erica Stoll, who worked for the PGA of America where her role involved coordinating logistics for the body’s events.
The couple’s first meeting was somewhat controversial.
Remember when McIlroy almost missed the start of his singles match against Keegan Bradley at the 2012 Ryder Cup?
The Northern Irishman said he had been watching the Golf Channel all morning, which had continuously stated his tee time as 12.15pm. Only that was Eastern Time – and Medinah, in Chicago, operates one hour back on Central Time.
The story goes that Stoll, made sure McIlroy got to the course and – crucially – his match on time.
That professional interaction eventually blossomed into a friendship and later a romantic relationship.
The pair started dating in 2015, and were engaged later that year while on holiday in Paris. They married in April 2017 at Ashford Castle in Ireland.
Does Rory McIlroy have any children?
McIlroy and Stoll have a daughter, Poppy Kennedy, who was born in August 2020.
The relationship hasn’t always been plain sailing. In May 2024, McIlroy told reporters he had filed for divorce from Stoll. By June, the divorce filing had been withdrawn.
“There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate” McIlroy told The Guardian. “Responding to each rumor is a fool’s game.
“Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together.
“Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”
The three live primarily in Jupiter, Florida.
Rory McIlroy, the professional golfer from Northern Ireland, is happily married to Erica Stoll. The couple tied the knot in April 2017 in a beautiful ceremony held in Ashford Castle, County Mayo, Ireland.Erica Stoll, originally from New York, worked in the PGA of America before meeting Rory. She is known for her supportive and caring nature, always by Rory’s side at tournaments and events.
Their relationship began in 2015 and quickly blossomed into a strong bond. Rory has credited Erica for bringing stability and balance to his life, both on and off the golf course.
Together, Rory and Erica make a dynamic and loving couple, sharing a passion for travel, sports, and spending time with family and friends. Their marriage is a true partnership built on love, respect, and mutual admiration.
Fans of Rory McIlroy are thrilled to see him happy and content with Erica by his side, and look forward to seeing what the future holds for this power couple in the years to come.
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#Rory #McIlroys #wife #Meet #Erica #StollRory McIlroy Suggests PGA Tour Should Play Less in ‘Diminished’ Golf Ecosystem
Rory McIlroy is cutting down the number of times he will play in 2025—and for the sport’s health, he feels the PGA Tour should do the same.
“I think 47 or 50 tournaments a year is definitely too many,” the 35-year-old said Tuesday ahead of his season debut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Ratings and interest in the sport appears to be waning. The first reason could be that the professional game is fractured, and McIlroy said that he “would like to think that something happens pretty soon” regarding the framework agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. However, there have been other initiatives to drive viewership in golf, such as the TGL and YouTube influencers.
But it has created a saturated golf landscape.
“I think (the golf ecosystem) already has been diminished,” McIlroy said. “I would say yeah, look, the one thing about TGL’s only going to last two months. You get this sort of big burst of it in January, February and a little bit of March, then it’s done. It’s gone for 10 months basically. I would say that is hopefully somewhat additive to the ecosystem.
“YouTube is like golf entertainment-adjacent, whatever. Those guys are killing it. They found a niche and it’s really cool and it serves a purpose for a lot of people.”
McIlroy, though, sees the pros and cons of all these forms of golf.
“Look, I would much rather sit down and watch real golfers play real tournaments and that’s just my opinion,” the Northern Irishman said. “That to me is more entertaining. But I understand that other people want something different and that’s totally fine as well.
“I think there’s space for all of this. Yeah, I can see when the golf consumer might get a little fatigued of everything that’s sort of available to them. So to scale it back a little bit and maybe have a little more scarcity in some of the stuff that we do, like the NFL, I think mightn’t be a bad thing.”
Even with several stars playing on LIV, McIlroy believes “the majority of probably the best players in the world are still” on the PGA Tour. Therefore, aside from playing less, he’s aware of other suggestions to improve the product, such as playing classic venues, speeding up the pace of play and more engagement with the fans, which Justin Thomas has lobbied for.
But that likely won’t happen overnight. So if people don’t want to watch what the sport currently has to offer, McIlroy is fine with that.
“There’s a lot of things about golf that are very different than other sports, but I think that’s what makes it unique,” the four-time major champion said. “I don’t think we should try to dumb down golf to appeal to more people.
“Golf is golf at the end of the day. It’s been this way for hundreds of years. I really like the way golf is and I think a lot of other people do, too, but I still understand the critiques of how the entertainment product could get better. It’s a multifaceted thing and I think pace of play is one thing. Player accessibility and all that, that’s what we’re talking about, but it takes a while to put that sort of ball into motion.
“These are all the things that have been getting kicked around. But like first and foremost we’re professional golfers, we want to go out there and shoot the best score possible that we can and try to beat each other. Hopefully, people find that entertaining, and if not, then I don’t know what to tell them.”
Rory McIlroy, one of the top golfers in the world, recently made a suggestion that has sparked some debate among golf fans and professionals. In a recent interview, McIlroy expressed his belief that the PGA Tour should consider playing fewer events in order to preserve the integrity of the sport in what he called a “diminished” golf ecosystem.McIlroy pointed out that the current schedule of events, with tournaments taking place nearly every week throughout the year, can be exhausting for players and may lead to a decrease in the overall quality of play. He argued that by reducing the number of events, players would have more time to rest and prepare for the tournaments they do play in, ultimately leading to better performances on the course.
While some may see McIlroy’s suggestion as controversial, others have supported his stance, noting that a more condensed schedule could help to increase the prestige of each individual event and create more excitement for fans.
As the PGA Tour continues to evolve and adapt to the changing landscape of professional golf, it will be interesting to see if McIlroy’s idea gains traction and leads to any changes in the schedule. In the meantime, fans can look forward to watching McIlroy and other top players compete in the many events on the PGA Tour calendar.
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#Rory #McIlroy #Suggests #PGA #Tour #Play #Diminished #Golf #EcosystemRory McIlroy, Shane Lowry chasing Sepp Straka after windy, rainy day at Pebble Beach
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Sepp Straka took a trip down to the beach that derailed his round Saturday, and then recovered with four birdies on his last five holes in a cold, whipping wind for a 2-under 70 to reclaim the lead over the Irish duo of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
McIlroy was practically flawless, at least in the nasty conditions, by getting through the exposed stretch of Pebble Beach without dropping a shot and chipping his way around for a bogey-free 65.
Lowry got off to a birdie-eagle-birdie start that allowed for a few mistakes around the turn and he finished with two birdies on the last three holes for a 65.
Just don’t get the idea Irish weather was well-suited for McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and Lowry (Ireland), especially because they now are neighbors in South Florida.
“It might suit me somewhat, but I don’t enjoy it,” Lowry said. “I live in Florida for a reason. I think my game is well-equipped to handle these conditions and I go out there, kind of no fear, and I know I just need to batten down the hatches and make pars when I can.”
The second signature event of the year produced big names at the top, and this one had a distinctive Ryder Cup feel — European, that is.
Straka, the Austrian-born Georgia Bulldog coming off a win in the California desert, blasted out of the sand to 4 feet for one last birdie that putt him at 16-under 200, one shot ahead of McIlroy and Lowry, his Ryder Cup teammates from Marco Simone.
Justin Rose of England, a Pebble Beach winner in 2023 and part of Team Europe later that year, was another shot behind.
Scottie Scheffler, in his 2025 debut delayed by his hand surgery from a freak puncture wound, held it together for a 69 and was six shots behind.
Gone are the days of the old Crosby Clambake, with amateurs having left on Friday. But it was reminiscent of the Clambake weather, not the prettiest pictures but a delight to see golf’s best players have their hands full with a wind ripping off the Pacific Ocean.
Scheffler couldn’t believe it when he hit a 5-iron as pure as can be on the 10th hole and watched it fly only 155 yards, 20 yards short of his target. Lowry knows the feeling. He drilled a 3-iron and came up short.
McIlroy had a suitable game plan. When the wind arrived as he was on the sixth hole, he said he turned to caddie Harry Diamond and said, “Let’s try to chip the ball around today.”
“I feel like I didn’t make a full swing after that,” McIlroy said.
Here’s a look at tee times, groupings and how to watch the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
He had to save par six times from the rough and bunkers, none more valuable than from down in the high grass below the 10th green to 6 feet and a key par putt.
“That was a key up-and-down to just to keep the momentum of the round going,” he said.
The 10th hole is where Straka nearly came undone. His approach sailed well to the right, over the cliff and onto the beach. He went down to the sand and picked up his golf ball, taking the penalty shot instead of trying the dramatic shot off the beach, and did well to salvage bogey.
But he bogeyed the next two holes, going from a four-shot lead early in the round to trailing by two shots. Straka, though, is equipped with newfound confidence and steadied himself on the way in with birdies on the 14th and 15th holes, a 30-foot birdie putt for the only birdie of the day on the par-3 17th and his closing birdie.
It sets up a final round in which six players are separated by two shots and Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player, hanging around on the edge of contention. He didn’t birdie a par 5 until the last hole — two par 5s on the front were in benign conditions — but made a pair of birdies late.
“I hung in there on a day where I didn’t have my best stuff,” Scheffler said.
McIlroy doesn’t usually have great success on the West Coast — his lone California victory was in early May in the Match Play at Harding Park in 2015 — but has talked about this being a big year for him on several front. Pebble Beach wasn’t at the front of his mind, but it is now.
“It’s really cool to be in contention this early in the season,” he said.
McIlroy and Lowry both began the week making a hole-in-one — Lowry on the seventh hole at Pebble Beach, McIlroy on the 15th at Spyglass — and now the longtime friends from Irish golf will be in the final group with Straka.
“There’s a few courses in the world that you would like to win on and this is definitely one of them,” Lowry said. “So you try not to think about stuff like that and hopefully it comes to you someday.”
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are in hot pursuit of Sepp Straka after a windy and rainy day at Pebble Beach. The challenging conditions didn’t seem to faze Straka, who managed to hold onto his lead heading into the final round of the tournament.McIlroy and Lowry, however, are not far behind and are determined to close the gap and come out on top. With their skill and experience, they are sure to put up a tough fight in what promises to be an exciting finish.
Stay tuned as these talented golfers battle it out in what is sure to be a thrilling conclusion to the tournament at Pebble Beach. Who will come out on top? Only time will tell.
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Rory McIlroy aces 15th hole at Spyglass Hill in PGA Tour return
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — It took only six holes for Rory McIlroy to make a splash in his season debut on the PGA Tour.
Playing in Thursday’s first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, McIlroy aced the par-3 15th hole at Spyglass Hill Golf Course. With just 119 yards to the hole, the world No. 3 sawed off a wedge and flew the ball straight into the cup, rattling the flagstick on its way down.
“It’s such an elevated tee that the ball’s in the air and you know it’s on line but you don’t know whether to say go or sit or spin or release or whatever,” McIlroy said. “It’s sort of weird, you’re looking at it and you’re sort of watching where it might land on the green, and the thing just disappears.”
It was the second career ace on the PGA Tour for McIlroy, who made his first during the first round of the 2023 Travelers Championship.
“Honestly, it was lucky, I don’t see many balls nowadays go straight in the hole and stay in the hole,” McIlroy said of Thursday’s ace. “Pretty fortunate because it could have come out and went back in the water or do anything. It was a good swing, good wedge shot.”
The hole-in-one pushed McIlroy — who started his round on the 10th hole — to 3-under through six holes and near the top of the leaderboard in the early stages of the tournament. He finished his round with three birdies in his final four holes for a 6-under 66 and sits two shots back of Russell Henley‘s lead.
Prior to this week, McIlroy had not played on the PGA Tour since the Tour Championship in early September. He won once on tour in 2024 and finished second to Bryson DeChambeau at the US Open.
McIlroy said Thursday he played more golf, mostly socially, than usual between the end of the 2024 season and the beginning of this one, which has helped him feel more ready than usual at this point in the year.
“I’m maybe not searching as much,” he said. “I stayed pretty busy in that October period where I did a lot of swing work. Then I also played quite a lot of golf in December, which I don’t usually play, so I felt like that kept me a little more sharp.”
The last player to ace the 15th hole at Spyglass was Justin Rose in 2023. He went on to win the tournament.
Just hours after McIlroy made his ace, Shane Lowry followed suit and made an ace of his own on Pebble Beach’s iconic par-3 7th hole. The hole was playing 113 yards Thursday and Lowry’s ball landed short of the hole and spun right into it, sending Lowry and his playing partners into celebration.
As pointed out by golf statistician Justin Ray, Lowry — who also shot 66 on Thursday — now has three career aces on tour — at TPC Sawgrass’s 17th hole, Augusta National’s 16th hole and now Pebble’s 7th.
Rory McIlroy aces 15th hole at Spyglass Hill in PGA Tour returnIn a stunning display of skill and precision, Rory McIlroy hit a hole-in-one on the 15th hole at Spyglass Hill during his PGA Tour return. The crowd erupted in cheers as the ball sailed through the air and landed directly in the cup, securing McIlroy an eagle on the challenging par-3 hole.
McIlroy’s ace was a highlight of his round, showcasing his mastery of the game and reaffirming his status as one of the top golfers in the world. The moment was captured on camera and quickly went viral on social media, with fans and fellow players alike praising McIlroy’s incredible shot.
After a brief celebration, McIlroy continued his round with confidence and poise, finishing the day with a solid score and setting himself up for a strong performance in the tournament. His ace on the 15th hole will surely be remembered as one of the standout moments of the event, further solidifying McIlroy’s place in golfing history.
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Rory McIlroy’s small equipment change is already doing wonders
Rory McIlroy’s minor equipment change helped him get off to a hot start at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
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Rory McIlroy didn’t go looking for a new golf ball, but sometimes change finds you.
The four-time major champion switched from the TaylorMade TP5x to the TP5 for this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The early returns were positive during Thursday’s first round when McIlroy carded a 6-under-par 66 at Spyglass Hill Golf Club. The opening 66 included McIlroy’s second-career hole-in-one on the PGA Tour. Per Data Golf, McIlroy gained 2.27 strokes on approach and 1.65 off the tee during the first round.
After the round, McIlroy revealed how the equipment change came about.
“I sort of stumbled upon it,” McIlroy said Thursday. “I was messing around at the Grove the other day. This has got to be like Thursday last week. I just started to hit some chips with the TP5 instead of the TP5x, and I really loved how I felt. I hadn’t really tested the 2024 TP5, but I loved how it was reacting around the greens. And then I started hitting some like 60- and 70-yard shots with it, and it was coming off with a much lower launch, but spinier.
“Then I just did some testing with it and compared it to the TP5x. I used a 2019 TP5, and the difference between a 2019 TP5 and a 2019 TP5x was a lot in terms of the spin rates and the launch angles. This seems to launch probably a degree lower for me, but the spin rate’s very, very similar, which I really like. Yeah, did some testing with it, really like it. Doesn’t seem to lose any speed with the driver either, even though it’s a lower-compression golf ball. I thought I’ve got four rounds this week, no cut, may as well give it a go and see how it goes. I played 18 at Pebble on Tuesday, played 18 at Cypress yesterday with it, and obviously played here today and it’s been really, really good.”
The addition of the TP5 is just one reason McIlroy enters the season feeling sharper than he has in the past at the start of the season.
In October, the Northern Irishman spent three weeks in a simulator to address some faults in his backswing. Hitting into the simulator allowed McIlroy to focus on the movement of his body and his swing and not worry about altering it to shape his shot.
That studio work, combined with more recreational golf in December and the ball change have McIlroy feeling primed to attack the early part of the PGA Tour season instead of using it to fine-tune his swing.
“I’m maybe not searching as much,” McIlroy said after his round. “I stayed pretty busy in that October period where I did a lot of swing work. Then I also played quite a lot of golf in December, which I don’t usually play, so I felt like that kept me a little more sharp. It’s mostly social golf, but I had a trip to Ohoopee, I had the Grove Member-Member, I had my trip to New Zealand, I played the Showdown in Vegas, so I was playing a lot of golf through December.
Rory McIlroy, one of the top golfers in the world, recently made a small equipment change that is already showing impressive results on the course. The four-time major champion decided to switch to a new putter, and the decision seems to be paying off.In his most recent tournament, McIlroy’s putting was noticeably improved, with his confidence and accuracy on the greens shining through. The change in putter has helped him sink more crucial putts and lower his overall score.
This small adjustment has made a big impact on McIlroy’s game, and he is already reaping the rewards. As he continues to fine-tune his equipment and hone his skills, it will be exciting to see how his performance improves even further.
Stay tuned to see how Rory McIlroy’s small equipment change continues to benefit his game and propel him to even greater success on the golf course.
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Rory McIlroy hits remarkable slam dunk hole-in-one at Pebble Beach Pro-Am as Scottie Scheffler returns from ‘stupid’ injury
CNN
—
Rory McIlroy hit just the second hole-in-one of his PGA Tour career on Thursday, a remarkable slam dunk ace on Hole 15 of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Spyglass Hill.
The four-time major champion, playing in his first PGA Tour event of the year, took a wedge and drilled his shot 119 yards directly into the hole without bouncing, before celebrating with his caddie and playing partners, including Ryder Cup teammate Ludvig Åberg. His only other hole-in-one on the Tour came at the Travelers Championship in 2023.
“It’s such an elevated tee that the ball’s in the air and you know it’s online, but you don’t know whether to say ‘Go’ or ‘Sit’ or ‘Spin’ or ‘Release’ or whatever,” he said afterwards. “You’re looking at it and you’re watching where it might land on the green and the thing just disappears.
“It was a good swing, good wedge shot. It was obviously a nice little moment.”
Another of McIlroy’s Ryder Cup teammates, Shane Lowry, emulated the 26-time PGA Tour winner with his own ace at Pebble Beach’s iconic Hole 7, which he celebrated no less fervently despite the ball taking the more traditional route of landing on the green and rolling in.
It was the third of Lowry’s PGA Tour career, following holes-in-one at the Masters in 2016 and the Players Championship in 2022, and it marked the first time since 2009 that the Pebble Beach tournament has seen more than one ace in a single round, according to Sky Sports.
Both McIlroy and Lowry finished on six-under-par, two shots behind the leader, American Russell Henley. Jake Knapp, Justin Rose, Cam Davis, Sepp Straka, Rasmus Højgaard and Viktor Hovland each finished one shot behind Henley.
The tournament also saw the return of Scottie Scheffler, who was playing in his first competitive tournament of the year after sustaining what he called a “stupid” injury to his hand while rolling out ravioli dough with a wine glass on Christmas Day.
The world No. 1, who missed two tournaments to start the year, opened with a bogey but quickly settled in and made sure it was his only one of the day.
According to golf analyst Justin Ray, it was the 100th PGA Tour round since the beginning of 2022 in which Scheffler has played and made one or fewer bogeys. The American finished five-under-par.
“I like what I saw today,” he said afterwards, per The Associated Press. “I hit a few errant shots out there, but overall kept the course in front of me for the most part, so I was able to make a decent amount of birdies.”
The second round of the tournament begins on Friday.
Rory McIlroy hits remarkable slam dunk hole-in-one at Pebble Beach Pro-Am as Scottie Scheffler returns from ‘stupid’ injuryIn a stunning display of skill and precision, Rory McIlroy wowed spectators at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a jaw-dropping hole-in-one that was nothing short of remarkable. The Northern Irish golfer hit a perfect shot that sailed through the air, bounced on the green, and then rolled straight into the cup for an unforgettable slam dunk ace.
But McIlroy wasn’t the only player making headlines at the prestigious tournament. Scottie Scheffler also made a triumphant return to the course after recovering from what he called a “stupid” injury. The American golfer had been sidelined for weeks due to a freak accident off the course, but he showed no signs of rust as he made his comeback with impressive play.
As the Pebble Beach Pro-Am continues, golf fans around the world are eagerly anticipating more thrilling moments and unforgettable shots from some of the sport’s biggest stars. Stay tuned for more updates and highlights from this exciting event.
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Rory McIlroy — Scaling back number of events may aid PGA Tour
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — After an early-morning cross-country flight following his TGL debut in Florida on Monday night, Rory McIlroy arrived at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Tuesday ahead of the PGA Tour’s second signature event of the season.
McIlroy has yet to play stateside this year, but the talk surrounding him Tuesday wasn’t about the state of his game but rather about the state of golf as an entertainment product.
“When we’re growing up dreaming of [being] professional golfers and trying to get the best out of ourselves, the last thing on our mind is being an entertainer,” McIlroy said. “I really like the way golf is, and I think a lot of other people do, too, but I still understand the critiques of how the entertainment product could get better.”
McIlroy acknowledged that the splintering of the game — between PGA Tour events, TGL, LIV (which kicks off its season in Saudi Arabia next week) and the recent rise in popularity for content creator-driven YouTube golf — also might be leading to an oversaturation of the game. TV ratings for PGA Tour events, for example, have seen drops this season.
“I think there’s space for all of this,” McIlroy said. “But I can see when the golf consumer might get a little fatigued.”
In response to concern about other forms of the sport taking away from the PGA Tour, McIlroy said he believes the tour’s product already has been diminished in recent years and that the number of events on the schedule has not helped.
“I think 47 or 50 tournaments a year is definitely too many,” he said. “To scale it back and have a little more scarcity, like the NFL, might not be a bad thing.”
The four-time major winner said Tuesday he likely will play fewer events this season while meeting the minimum requirements to maintain membership on both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. The world No. 3 played in 27 events last year; he said Tuesday he expects to play around 22 events this year. McIlroy’s TGL team, Boston Common, also has four regular-season matches remaining.
McIlroy said TGL’s audience has skewed younger, which would accomplish its goal of appealing to that demographic with a “bite-sized” version of the sport. But he remained adamant that competitiveness, above all else, will be the main factor for creating an entertaining product in golf overall.
“We’re professional golfers, we want to go out there and shoot the best score possible that we can and try to beat each other,” McIlroy said. “Hopefully people find that entertaining, and if not, then I don’t know what to tell them.”
With the advent of LIV, however, that competitiveness in the game has suffered due to the exits from the PGA Tour of players such as Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau. And while McIlroy argued Tuesday that the PGA Tour is where most of the best players in the world still remain, he noted the fastest way to improve the entertainment product is to have tournaments featuring all of the best players in the world outside of the four major championships.
“I think in this day and age, you know, it’s become a hobby to bash golf and where golf is and is it entertaining? Is it not entertaining?” McIlroy said. “I came out on the wrong side of it last year, but I would say the last round of the U.S. Open (when he was outdueled by DeChambeau) was pretty entertaining last year, and that was pure competitive golf. I think the more we can get to scenarios like that, the better.”
Even while speaking Tuesday, McIlroy appeared to be grappling with the issue at the crux of what has plagued the sport in recent years — the push and pull between golf’s staunch tradition and its apparent need to evolve.
“I don’t think we should try to dumb down golf to appeal to more people. Golf is golf at the end of the day,” he said. “It’s been this way for hundreds of years. There’s a lot of things about golf that are very different than other sports, but I think that’s what makes it unique.”
Rory McIlroy, one of the top golfers in the world, has recently announced his decision to scale back the number of events he plays on the PGA Tour. This decision has sparked a debate among fans and analysts about whether this move could actually benefit the tour.McIlroy, who is known for his aggressive playing style and intense schedule, has stated that he wants to focus on quality over quantity when it comes to his tournament schedule. By playing in fewer events, he believes he can better maintain his physical and mental health, as well as improve his performance in the events he does play in.
Some argue that McIlroy’s decision could actually benefit the PGA Tour as a whole. By reducing the number of events he plays in, McIlroy may be able to bring more attention and excitement to the tournaments he does participate in. This could lead to increased viewership, ticket sales, and sponsorships for those events, ultimately benefiting the tour as a whole.
On the other hand, some worry that McIlroy’s absence from certain events could hurt the overall competitiveness and star power of the tour. Without one of the top players in the world at every event, some fear that fans may lose interest in those tournaments and the tour as a whole.
Ultimately, only time will tell whether McIlroy’s decision to scale back his number of events will have a positive or negative impact on the PGA Tour. But one thing is certain: his presence and performance on the tour will continue to be a major factor in shaping the future of professional golf.
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#Rory #McIlroy #Scaling #number #events #aid #PGA #TourRory McIlroy’s unusual solution to fix golf’s lagging TV ratings
Rory McIlroy spoke at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am the morning after competing in the TGL.
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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Rory McIlroy arrived in Pebble Beach a shade after 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday to find the fog had lifted two ways.
For the first time in at least a year, McIlroy could clearly see the 6th green at Pebble Beach.
And he could take a peek into golf’s future.
Last year, McIlroy left Monterey Peninsula after a miserable, rain-shortened tournament which marked the beginning of a dreary PGA Tour spring. TV ratings, which had held strong for the first years of golf’s LIV split, tumbled after Pebble and would not recover throughout the 2024 season. The Tour’s weekend viewership dropped by 15 percent in ’24, creating an offseason filled with questions regarding the sport’s entertainment future.
This year, McIlroy arrived in Pebble Beach on a charter jet from his native Jupiter, Fla. in brilliant sunlight. The golf world was back at Pebble Beach for a week to set the tenor for the season to follow, and McIlroy had some clear thoughts about what the people watching on TV should expect.
“Look, it’s a balance,” McIlroy said from the lectern at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he will soon make his first PGA Tour start of 2025. “When we’re growing up dreaming of professional golfers and trying to get the best out of ourselves, the last thing on our mind is being an entertainer. We’re competitive people at the end of the day, we want to play against the best players in the world and we want to try to come out on top. I think that in itself should be entertaining to people.”
McIlroy arrived late to Pebble Beach this week, but his tardiness was excused. On Monday night, he starred in the TGL’s best match yet: an overtime brawl between the Boston Ballfrogs and Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links GC watched by some 864,000 average viewers. For the third time in four weeks, the TGL had good TV ratings news to share with the world.
What did that mean for the PGA Tour? Admittedly not very much. The new league does not affect the Tour’s bottom line, and the friendly relationship between the two sides is as much a gesture of goodwill as it is one of good business. (The TGL and PGA Tour are officially “partners,” but the scope of the agreement remains unknown.) But as another slow weekend at Torrey Pines opened another round of bitter debate over how to “fix” the PGA Tour, McIlroy wondered if the TGL might provide some answers.
“I think [the PGA Tour] already has been diminished [by golf’s other entertainment offerings],” McIlroy said. “I would say yeah, look, the one thing about like TGL’s only going to last two months. You get this big burst of it in January, February and a little bit of March, then it’s done. It’s gone for 10 months basically. I would say that is hopefully somewhat additive to the ecosystem.”
The TGL is a fascinating launching-off point for a larger discussion about golf’s TV future because it is golf’s TV future … or at least someone’s approximation of it. Former Golf Channel bigwig/TGL founder Mike McCarley built the primetime, simulator golf league for television. Every nook and cranny has been optimized and maximized for those watching at home. Little thought was given to golf’s preexisting traditions of meritocracy nor fresh air. The result? Fans have already grown to adore some of the league’s most critical advancements, like the shot clock and player access, while viewership on ESPN has skewed more than a decade younger than traditional golf on TV.
To be clear, it’s not all peachy. Plenty of golf traditionalists loathe what the TGL has done to the sport’s sanctity, plenty of regular fans have been turned off by the league’s blithely Hollywoodized vision, and at least 150,000 average viewers from Tiger’s first telecast didn’t bother coming back for his second. But the TGL is one of many efforts at modernizing golf percolating throughout the sport as the calendar flips to 2025. The league may not be as popular or as well-received as YouTube golf, which is still riding a Brysonified U.S. Open bull run, but it is a vision of golf untethered to 18 holes or leisurely pace or daylight or grass — and at least some people seem to be coming back for more.
Of course, it helps that the TGL is a new product. And it helps, as McIlroy points out, that the TGL will only be around for another six weeks or so before it disappears for another 10 months. This schedule might have been mandated by the golf calendar, which intensifies around the beginning of April, but it has the added benefit of turning the TGL into a limited-edition product. Folks are incentivized to tune in during the few weeks it is happening, lest they miss out altogether. Perhaps there’s a lesson there for McIlroy’s friends at the Tour.
“I think there’s space for all of this,” McIlroy said. “I can see when the golf consumer might get a little fatigued of everything that’s available to them. So to scale it back a little bit and maybe have a little more scarcity in some of the stuff that we do, like the NFL. I think that mightn’t be a bad thing.”
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am betting guide: 5 picks our gambling expert loves this week
Scarcity … as in, fewer tournaments?
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think 47 or 50 tournaments a year is definitely too many.”
That’s one interesting approach to golf’s future: a PGA Tour smaller than it is today. Fewer events would allow the Tour to be choosier about its resources, compel players to meet in the same environments, and signal clearly to fans when they should tune in to watch on TV. Ironically, the Signature Events model was built precisely to fix these issues, but the model stopped short of cutting events from the Tour schedule — a change that would harm the Tour’s working class (to say nothing of its TV revenue).
Rory McIlroy’s Unusual Solution to Fix Golf’s Lagging TV Ratings: Virtual Reality TournamentsIn a bold move to revitalize interest in golf and boost TV ratings, Rory McIlroy has proposed a unique solution – virtual reality tournaments.
The idea is simple yet innovative: by partnering with technology companies to create virtual reality simulations of famous golf courses, fans can experience the thrill of playing alongside their favorite pros without leaving their living rooms.
Not only would this provide an immersive and interactive experience for viewers, but it could also attract a younger audience who may not have access to traditional golf courses.
McIlroy believes that by embracing cutting-edge technology, golf can stay relevant and engage a new generation of fans. While the idea may seem unconventional, it could be just the shake-up the sport needs to stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.
Only time will tell if McIlroy’s vision will come to fruition, but one thing is for certain – he’s not afraid to think outside the box when it comes to keeping golf exciting and engaging for fans.
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Rory McIlroy, golf, TV ratings, solution, fix, unusual, sports, PGA Tour, entertainment, viewership, strategy, marketing
#Rory #McIlroys #unusual #solution #fix #golfs #lagging #ratingsRory McIlroy has 1 joke — after hearing about Scottie Scheffler’s hand injury
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler last June at the U.S. Open.
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For Rory McIlroy, things didn’t add up. He seemingly had done the math.
Last year, Scottie Scheffler earned over $29 million in PGA Tour prize money, right? Check.
Over his career, he’s up to $71 million, which puts him third on the Tour’s all-time list, behind just Tiger Woods and McIlroy himself, right? Check.
And Scheffler hurt himself — cooking ravioli at Christmas? Also check.
The news stunned when it started to circulate on Dec. 27. Scheffler, the world No. 1 and a nine-time winner last year, punctured his right hand with glass and needed surgery, his manager, Blake Smith, said. He’d also need to miss tournament play.
He missed four events. This week, at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Scheffler is back. During his time away, he said he reflected some, an exercise he said he rarely does. “I just really wanted to jog my memory,” Scheffler said earlier this month. “And since I wasn’t able to play golf, I tried to almost train a little bit at home where I was reminding my brain of what I was feeling over certain shots and how my hands felt on the club and stuff like that. So I wasn’t, you know, totally checking out from golf, if that makes sense.”
But after hearing about the injury, McIlroy had a question on Tuesday in his pre-Pebble press conference.
He was wondering about the dinner prep. And the money made.
“I think he made enough money to hire a chef,” McIlroy cracked. “It’s like why are you cooking yourself?
“I was hoping it was going to be more of a fun story than that. We were together in Vegas on the 17th of December and played that match with Brooks and Bryson. Firstly, just concern and hope he was OK. It sounds like he is. It’s good that he’s teeing it up this week.
“Yeah, get a chef.”
Should you be curious, Scheffler later said he does have one. It’s his wife, Meredith. “She’s pretty cute,” he said.
Scottie Scheffler’s surprising secret for hitting more greens
On a slightly more serious note, McIlroy was also asked what he felt stood out in Scheffler’s 2024 campaign, outside of the basic statistics. It was an engaging question, as it gives you a bit of a window into what McIlroy values.
“I’ve never — this is anyone, this is Tiger, this is in the history of golf — I don’t think I’ve ever seen a golfer play as many bogey-free rounds as Scottie,” McIlroy said. “He just doesn’t make mistakes. It’s so impressive. He plays the right shot at the right time over and over and over again. You obviously need the technical ability to be able to do that, but he doesn’t make mistakes. And when you don’t make mistakes on the golf course, the game can become pretty easy.
“So super impressive. If he continues to do that, he’s going to be the dominant force that he was last year and the year before that.”
But is McIlroy right? On the stats page on the PGA Tour’s website, bogey-free rounds are not listed, though in looking at 2024, golf stats guru Justin Ray tweeted on Aug. 15 that Xander Schauffele had carded his Tour-best 19th bogey-free round, which was five better than Scheffler, the next-best pro in the category. (From that point, over 12 rounds, Schauffele and Scheffler posted three more bogey-free scorecards, though two of Scheffler’s came at the Hero World Challenge.)
Still, Scheffler’s bogey-free play is impressive. Below is a look at where the rounds were played.
– Sentry round 1, Jan. 4
– American Express round 2, Jan. 19
– American Express round 4, Jan. 21
– AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am round 2, Feb. 2
– WM Phoenix Open round 2, Feb. 9
– Arnold Palmer Invitational round 4, March 10
– Players Championship, round 4, March 17
– Texas Children’s Houston Open round 1, March 28
– Masters round 1, April 11
– RBC Heritage round 2, April 19
– RBC Heritage round 3, April 20
– Charles Schwab Challenge round 2, May 24
– Charles Schwab Challenge round 3, May 25
– Travelers Championship round 4, June 23
– FedEx St. Jude Championship round 2, Aug. 16
– Hero World Challenge round 2, Dec. 6
– Hero World Challenge round 4, Dec. 8
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am betting guide: 5 picks our gambling expert loves this week
“It’s a simple way to put it,” Scheffler said, “but I think having superior control of my golf ball is what enabled me to not make a lot of mistakes. That’s like having a good feel where my swing’s at so I know how to manage my way around the course, playing the appropriate shot. I made plenty of mistakes, but I think it’s more about managing where the miss is. And when I have a really good feel where the club is as I did for a lot of last season, I’m able to really work my way around the golf course.
“It’s a lot simpler than just not making a mistake. It’s easy to say play it to the middle of the green, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to hit the shots. I think at times last year I just had really good control of my ball and that’s how I was able to avoid the mistakes.”
There is also this: On July 25, Ray shared that Lydia Ko had posted her 131st bogey-free round since the start of the 2014 season — and the next-closest pro over that period (Lizette Salas) was at 84. (To finish the season, Ko posted seven more bogey-free rounds — the first, second and fourth rounds of the Kroger Queen City Championship, the first and second rounds of the BMW Ladies Championship, the third round of the Annika, and the fourth round of the CME Group Tour Championship.)
As news of Scottie Scheffler’s hand injury spreads, Rory McIlroy has just one joke to share: “Looks like Scottie’s got a real ‘grip’ on the situation!” Wishing Scottie a speedy recovery and lots of laughter along the way. #GetWellSoonScottie #GolfHumor
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Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, golf, hand injury, joke, humor, PGA Tour, professional golf, sports injury, witty response, golf news, golf humor, golf rivalry
#Rory #McIlroy #joke #hearing #Scottie #Schefflers #hand #injuryMonday Leaderboard: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy face off at last in TGL
Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods are ready to do battle in TGL. (Mike Ehrmann/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images) Welcome to the Monday Leaderboard, where we run down the weekend’s top stories in the wonderful world of golf. Grab an Arnold Palmer, pull up a chair and get ready for a battle of titans …
1. Tiger vs. Rory: TGL’s marquee match has arrived
Think what you will about TGL, the new indoor golf league — fun addition to the golf universe or strange made-for-TV aberration — but it’s undeniable that we’ve arrived at the league’s big moment. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, giants of two generations and the founders behind TGL, will meet for the first time Monday night. You probably don’t much care about whether Tiger’s Jupiter Links Golf Club can bounce back from its initial humiliation, or whether Rory’s Boston Common Golf Club will shine in its debut. But if you’re a golf fan, you do care about seeing these two legends going head-to-head. It’s not Sunday at Augusta, true, but it’s still going to be fun, one way or another.
2. Return of the king at Pebble Beach
The AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach tees off this week with a bit of extra juice. It’s the second “signature” event of the year, but the first to feature Scottie Scheffler, returning to the links for the first time since injuring his hand on Christmas. He’ll be joined by McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth and a whole bunch of other notable names, making this a true must-watch event. Scheffler had to have bits of glass surgically removed from his hand after breaking a glass, which means he’ll probably only win by seven or eight.
(Bruno Rouby / Yahoo Sports) 3. Slow play is out of control
All due respect to the players who competed in this past weekend’s Farmers Insurance Open, and the windy conditions at Torrey Pines, but this was a case study in why the game needs a shot clock, or slow-play penalties, or anything to keep the game moving. After the final threesome played the front nine holes in three hours, CBS analyst Dottie Pepper seethed. “I think we’re starting to need a new word to talk about this pace-of-play issue, and it’s respect,” she said. “For your fellow competitors, for the fans, for broadcasts, for all of it. It’s just gotta get better.” TGL’s shot clock has brought a renewed focus to the speed of play, and CBS’ broadcasts are continuing the conversation … but not in a way that the PGA Tour would like.
4. Golf-ball rollback is under scrutiny
It’s a generally accepted truism that a golf-ball rollback would improve the current pro game by bringing strategy back into course management, preventing players from bombing drives and wedging their way onto the green. Rollback’s usage for casual players, however, is much less beneficial … and since several entities in the game are against “bifurcation,” or using different rules for pros and amateurs, there’s now some new pushback to planned rollback rules.
New PGA of America commissioner Derek Sprague voiced his concerns just days after taking over the job. “I don’t know one recreational golfer that wants to hit it shorter,” Sprague told Golf Digest. “I don’t think we want 30 or 40 million golfers to go out and have to not only buy new golf balls, but now buy new equipment to match the new golf ball. So it really puts a burden on the recreational player.” It’s all a matter of whom the rules are meant to serve, and whom they unfairly penalize. And the matter clearly isn’t anywhere close to solved, no matter when the rules are enforced.
5. Harris English claims Torrey Pines victory
Harris English entered Saturday’s final round at the Farmers Insurance Open with a one-shot lead, then promptly gave it away with two early bogeys. But he rallied to win by one shot over Sam Stevens. It’s English’s fifth PGA Tour victory, and one achieved in the toughest conditions so far this year on Tour.
Trophy of the Week: The Farmers Insurance Open
(AP Photo/Denis Poroy) Nice little trophy this time around for the Tour stop, a replica of Torrey’s famous windswept pines. Would’ve been better if they were actual size, but we go with what we can get. (Does he get to keep the surfboard?)
Mulligan of the Week: Max Homa’s daring escape
Nice job of dodging disaster here from Max Homa. The rest of us would’ve ended up in the drink, guaranteed.
That’ll do it for this week, friends. Hit ’em straight and roll ’em true, and we’ll see you back here next Monday.
It’s Monday, and that means it’s time for another exciting round of Monday Leaderboard! This week, all eyes are on Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as they face off at last in The Golf League (TGL).Woods, a seasoned veteran with multiple major championships under his belt, is looking to prove he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level. On the other hand, McIlroy, a young and talented golfer with a strong record of success, is eager to show that he can take on the best of the best.
The stage is set for an epic showdown between two of golf’s biggest stars, and fans are buzzing with excitement. Will Woods’ experience and skill prevail, or will McIlroy’s youthful energy and talent win the day?
Stay tuned to TGL to find out who will emerge victorious in this thrilling showdown between two golfing legends. Who do you think will come out on top? Let us know in the comments below!
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- Monday Leaderboard golf match
- TGL tournament showdown
- Woods and McIlroy face off
- Golf rivalry reignites
- Tiger vs Rory Monday match
- Leaderboard battle at TGL
- Woods McIlroy showdown
- Monday golf showdown
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#Monday #Leaderboard #Tiger #Woods #Rory #McIlroy #face #TGL
