Rory McIlroy didn’t set out to shake the foundations of the PGA Tour. Yet one conversation quietly nudged him toward a vision that might have a profound impact on the sport. A recent LinkedIn post from Golf instructor Larry Rinker revealed how Gary McCord recalled asking McIlroy about the Tour’s future. McCord revealed how McIlroy pointed to an article written by Gary on TOUR franchising. A concept so bold that even the four-time major champion admitted he couldn’t fully grasp it at first.

The idea seemingly caught the attention of the Northern Irish golfer because he felt it had the potential. And Rory might have taken to the concept as it reflected a blueprint for a new era of the sport. However, the idea also has consequences. It’s a franchised, investor-driven model where the traditional power structures, even those led by Tiger Woods, might be fading. The sport’s greatest icon could find himself pushed to the sidelines as new systems, new leaders, and new priorities emerge. But how?

Gary McCord joined golf analysts Bailey and Brandon for The Favorite Chamblee podcast and shared his idea on how he looks forward to revamping the sport. An idea that has seemingly gotten a nod from Rory McIlroy himself. Criticizing the current scenario, McCord added, “On this one, we have no base. We don’t have players that we can start bringing in and trying to develop and market them and trying to build this thing on a bigger platform.” He then started to share his idea, stating, “So here’s what we’re going to do, all right? We’re going to have two leagues, 18 tournaments in each league, 18 because there’s 18 holes.”

McCord further added how he feels the “The golfing public has no clue about FedEx points.” He then shared, “We’ve got 18 tournaments and that is the Jack Nicklaus League. And then we have 18 tournaments, the Tiger Woods League. There’s going to be a draft early in the year and they’re going to have five representatives of the five franchises out of the 18 in one side of the room and five from the other. We’re going to have a draft. First pick, boom, who you got? We got Rory. Okay, who you got? We got Scottie. And we’re going to go all the way down, 110 guys in each league. You’re going to draft 140 because there could, you know, guys are not going to play for one reason or another.”

He further explained the format he has been thinking about. “So we’re going to have 110 guys tee off in each league and we’re going to have a 70 man cut. And then, so we’ve taken the tour now, we’ve made it smaller. It’s only got 36, 18 in each. They’re going to be five majors”, said Gary. He added that they’re going to play in their own league. There would be 18 tournaments. The players would also take part in 4 tournaments collectively. “Both leagues together are going to compromise the field of 144”, said McCord.

What McCord is really pointing to is the power shift that a franchise-style PGA Tour would create. In his view, a future Tour wouldn’t just draft players based on world rankings or recent form. Instead, owners or franchise heads would choose golfers the way major sports teams do. “They can draft anybody they want. Let’s say you’re going to draft players. I’m going to also draft my league. I’m going to draft guys with personalities because I’m trying to build equity in my franchise”, added McCord. Players would be chosen not just for their skills but also depending on their marketability and entertainment value.

McCord takes it a step further. He stated how a strong franchise isn’t just about players. It’s about creating the best possible TV product. He said, “I’m going to present the best TV package I can get. And we’re going to go on that in a second.” He concluded by adding, “At the end of the 18 events, 12 guys from Tiger Woods’ league, 12 guys from Jack Nicklaus meet in a match play, one play in 12. OK, the match play event is winner-take-all. You lose, you’re gone. That three-footer is going to get very interesting because the guy who wins is going to win. And it’s called the golf’s gold cup. No money. He is going to get a trophy that’s made out of solid gold, and it’s going to be worth whatever, five, ten million.” Amid this, Rory McIlroy, who has shown support for the vision of Gary McCord, has shared his critical thoughts on the recent change announced by LIV Golf.

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Rory McIlroy confused about the latest LIV Golf rule change

Rory McIlroy might be happy with the PGA Tour revamp. But when it comes to the LIV Golf, he just cannot wrap his head around the same. Instead, after learning about the format change, the Northern Ireland star is pretty much confused about the same. The Saudi-backed league recently announced that all the tournaments will now be a 72-hole affair. 

This is a significant jump from the previously existing 54-hole, three-day events. Reacting to the same, McIlroy sounded pretty much confused about why exactly LIV Golf decided to switch to the four-round format. According to McIlroy, “I think it’s a peculiar move because I think they could have got ranking points with three rounds. I don’t think three rounds versus four rounds is what was holding them back.” Surely, the former world number 1 has a point here.

Elaborating on his statement further, McIlroy stated that the switch will surely mean that LIV will now be in tandem with the more traditional tournaments. Meanwhile, the LIV withdrew its bid for the OWGR points last year. But now, with all the changes being ringed in, the league has resubmitted its plea to earn the coveted points. Surely, with rapid changes coming up both in the PGA and LIV, fans will be eager to see how things pan out in the future.