Ever since LIV Golf entered the picture, much of the talk in golf has been about dollar bills. From roping in players for huge amounts to dishing out an elevated prize purse for all of its events, the breakaway league has surely left its mark. Well, the PGA Tour, in return, also took to join hands with SSG amid merger talks, causing immense drama. According to Max Homa, led to the fans suffering from its after-effects and it seems even Rory McIlroy couldn’t help but agree, albeit sarcastically, with its impact.

The 34-year-old was queried about the equity numbers that were speculated to be released the same day, courtesy of its deal with SSG. Moreover, while being asked about his feelings regarding the same, the reporter also tried to draw a parallel to the money being offered in the Saudi-backed league.

“I think the one thing we’ve learned in golf over the last two years is there’s never enough,” responded McIlroy, ahead of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, to the question that was posed to him. He did so despite reportedly being awarded an outrageous $50 million as part of the new equity announcement, all the while attending an interview alongside his partner Shane Lowry.

Back in February, the PGA Tour joined hands with SSG for a whopping $3 billion. This, in turn, further proved credence to the increasing influence of money in the sport. Anyhow, as a result of the same, the Jay Monahan-led circuit, in a recent report, informed its members about the individual grants that they will receive as per the new equity program. Interestingly, many of golf’s biggest stars will reportedly get huge amounts, with Tiger Woods to receive $100 million.

That’s not all. The sport being transformed into something that currently boasts immense amounts of money has undoubtedly led to the worsening of the fan experience as well. This has led to a change in the attitude of the average fan of the sport, thereby causing a dip in viewership. And, Max Homa did not shy away from divulging the reason behind the same, pointing his fingers at none other than the greedy and selfish players.

Max Homa blasted selfish golfers even before Rory McIlroy

“I think we hit this year-and-a-half- or two-year rut as both golfers and golf leagues that was just about making the players happy, and unfortunately and quite obviously the fans were not benefitted by that,” admitted Homa as he accused how the golfers were being selfish and just looking out for themselves while ignoring the fans. Adding on, he alluded to how the recent drama in the sport led to low viewership numbers for various events despite them being nothing short of incredible: “Each event on-site has felt amazing. The Masters was incredible. Bay Hill… THE PLAYERS was awesome.”

The 33-year-old expressed how it was not at all surprising to see the community tired from all this spectacle: “What I’m seeing with those numbers and all that, it does seem like yeah, I would imagine fans have fatigue. They probably should have fatigue… It’s quite nauseating.” Besides, he made sure to highlight the importance of the fans in the sport while expressing hope for a better future, as he said, “We are nothing without those watching us… Hopefully, more innovation will go into making their viewing process a lot more engaging and fun because that’s why we get to do this.”

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Although McIlroy didn’t specifically take Homa by name, the jab he issued was clearly in line with the 33-year-old’s words that were stated ahead of the RBC Heritage. Will the rest of the golfing world heed their words? The fans can only wait and watch, as only time will be able to tell!