McIlroy praises Woods: He’s the alpha of the PGA Tour! Golf moves into a new era

The PGA Tour is experiencing a very hectic time these weeks. The peak of the season in the form of the FedEx Cup Playoffs breaks in half this weekend, while at the same time the world’s top ranked players tackle the future of the American Tour at the BMW Championship. The biggest star of the last two decades, Tiger Woods, is also taking part in these debates.

Tiger Woods has been the face of the PGA Tour for more than 20 years. That’s why he’s joined his colleagues at Wilmington Country Club in Delaware, where the BMW Championship is a fixture of the FedEx Cup these days.

The winner of fifteen majors still attracts a lot of attention, even though he hasn’t been on the top of the leaderboard in recent years. In addition, after a car accident last year, he has been on the course rather sporadically.

it’s just that the company that has been Tiger’s “employer” for many years is now bleeding. Competition has appeared on the scene in the form of LIV Golf, which is often criticized for being subsidized by Saudi Arabia’s public resources. The PGA Tour is losing its players and gasping for breath.

Woods flew in from Florida for a players’ meeting, attended by some of the PGA Tour’s top players, to discuss just the future of the Tour. So that they don’t miss the runaway train altogether.

Among those in attendance is Rory McIlroy, who at thirty-three is still one of the brightest shining lights of the American event. Even so, he’s aware of who plays the biggest role in the Delaware controversy: “I think it’s pretty obvious. Whenever we all get in the same room, there’s an alpha, but it’s not me,” the Irish golfer told Golf Week, a reference meant to highlight Woods’ presence.

“It’s impressive and I think it shows how much he cares about the Tour. How much he cares about the players that are coming through and will make up the next generation. Whether you like it or not, the Tour has had an easy job with Tiger for 20 years. Yes, he’s got a lot of others, we’re great players, but we’re not Tiger Woods,” McIlroy realises.

According to him, the 46-year-old legend is the one everyone looked up to in their golfing beginnings. His voice goes heard most of all and he is the one that can steer the PGA Tour to where it should be.

“He’s been on the Tour for a really long time. I think us players who have been on the course with him, the ones who were a bit older than me, and the guys who came after me, we’ve all benefited from his great career,” the Northern Ireland darling spared no words of praise.

Woods, McIlroy and many other players on the PGA Tour are now haunted by an uncertain future. But one thing McIlroy is well aware of: “We’re moving into a new era and we have to think about things a little differently.” What that next era will be is unclear at this point. What is clear, however, is that with the arrival of LIV Golf on the scene, nothing will be the same.

Source: PGA Tour, Golf Week