Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler is an outspoken man. Like his former client, Rory McIlroy, whom he represented in the star’s early days, Chandler doesn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t speak his mind freely. So, when the former pro sat for an ES exclusive interview with Aravind S Menon, Chandler was blunt and no-nonsense.

Menon asked how Chandler had read McIlroy’s sudden turnaround and a rather surprising Tour policy board exit. Was there some internal tension within the board? Chandler didn’t hide his true feelings, lamenting that the top brass sort of abandoned the Northern Irishman after taking his service for a year and a half.

Chandler was more convinced after watching the first two episodes of ‘Full Swing’. The episodes delved into McIlroy’s travails on and off the course. Aside from his day job on the greens, the Northern Irish Pro was moonlighting as the de facto spokesperson for the Tour. Drawing a reference to those two episodes of the Netflix docuseries, which he watched for the purpose of this candid chat, Andrew Chandler said, “I don’t know what they said. And I thought it was very interesting because it highlighted how wronged Rory had been by the PGA Tour.”

On that part, even Rory McIlroy would perhaps agree. The Northern Irish pro admitted feeling like a ‘sacrificial lamb’ in the wake of the merger. Chandler can certainly sense why.

Continuing the exclusive interview with EssentiallySports conducted with the assistance of the Betideas and its host, Duncan Wright, Chandler added, “I mean, he’s been he’s been sat up there. He was the spokesman for 15 months, (and) was very outspoken. And then they didn’t bother to tell him that they were going to pull the rug from under his feet and make him actually pretty stupid.” Chandler feels it rendered meaningless what McIlroy has been defending for the past one and a half years. Not only that, a year of his energy was wasted on a lost cause.

The former Pro added, “And, I feel sorry for him. You know, I think I think he wasted a year of his golf career. Being involved in a lot of things that in the end, nobody listens to.” McIlroy missed the cut at last year’s Masters. In the first episode of Full Swing season 2, the Ulsterman was ruthless at himself, admitting he played like “dogs***”. In the next three Majors, Mcllroy would go on to net top-ten finishes, but couldn’t break into the winners’ circle. The closest he would reach was T2 at the U.S. Open. But there is one more reason why his former agent feels the Ulsterman appeared as the fall guy.

Rory McIlroy did what legends of the game avoided

Another reason why Chandler feels that McIlroy was somewhat ‘sacrificed’ is because he never saw the previous greats doing so. After a moment of pause, Chandler concluded in the exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, “And you’d have never got Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods doing that.” Interestingly, PIF officials did reach out to Jack Nicklaus before roping in Greg Norman. But the Golden Bear rejected them because he helped establish the PGA Tour. McIlroy sort of stepped up in Tiger Woods’s absence. While he has been paid generously through PIP, it has incurred a heavy cost to his career.

“[PGA Tour] Don’t Even Stand Up Against LIV”: Rory McIlroy’s Former Agent Chubby Chandler Makes a Bold Claim

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The 15-time Major champion was out of the greens for a better part of the tumultuous two years due to injuries. Rory McIlroy stepped up to defend the Tour against LIV Golf’s steady onslaught. But ‘Chubby’ Chandler feels it wasn’t worth it. In fact, Chandler feels that the So-Fi center mishap was a blessing in disguise for both Woods & McIlroy, as no one was ready for the tech-infused league.

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