Saudi International golf league has been facing controversies since its inception. Amidst the issues, many golfers will be attending the event this year. While Rory McIlroy chose not to attend, he shared his thoughts on it and the players playing at the event. 

The Saudi International event was part of the then European Tour (now rebranded as DP World Tour). However, the Saudi government has started to fund the event recently. Since Saudi is a country that has been in recent controversies related to violating human rights, the event has been facing issues related to it.

The PGA and the DP World Tour took this opportunity to ban its players from joining the Saudi league. Despite the ban, many players have shown interest since the league offers a good sum of prize money. 

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On the other hand, Rory has made it clear that he will not be attending the 2022 Saudi International golf event. However, he does not blame other golfers for playing in the controversial tournament. “If someone comes and offers you that sort of money, it’s hard to say no,” he said. 

What does Rory McIlroy think of the rivalry between the Tours? 

“Competition is a good thing.” McIlroy thinks the competition between the Tours will only ensure the betterment of the sport and the players. Nevertheless, he believes that if the competition turns to rivalry, no good will come, neither the sport nor the players. 

Rory does not see why there should be a ban on the players who are supposed to play golf to make a living. He further explained that the restrictions would only help in causing resentment between the players and the organization. 

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“I like being my own boss. I don’t want to be told what to do,” he added. According to Rory, an individual is capable of deciding what’s best for him, and the Tour has no right to make restrictions on the players. He also made clear that he doesn’t want to attend the league because he doesn’t want to, not because of the Tour restrictions. 

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Although the PGA and the DP World Tour imposed restrictions on some of its best players to attend the Saudi event, they have removed it since. They approved all the applications from the players to attend the event from the golfers. 

What do you think of the rivalry between the Tour organizations? Do you also think they are jeopardizing their relationship with the players? Let us know!