‘I’m so sick of it’: Rory McIlroy gives withering verdict on Saudi-backed Super Golf League

The Irishman reaffirmed his loyalty to the PGA Tour amid speculation that several players have signed up for the breakaway tour

Rory McIlroy is not a fan of the Super Golf League. (Kamran Jebreili/AP) (AP)

Rory McIlroy says he is “sick of” hearing about the Saudi Arabia-backed Super Golf League and has reaffirmed his loyalty to the PGA Tour.

The 32-year-old has already stated that he would refuse to join the controversial Super League, which aims to take on and conquer the PGA Tour by stealing its highest profile golfers with lucrative financial offers. The likes of Tiger Woods and Collin Morikawa have also said they have no interest in the oil state’s alternative circuit, and the PGA has indicated it would permanently ban players who appear in the Super League.

“Not so Super League!”, McIlroy joked at his news conference ahead of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club north of Los Angeles.

“Oh, I’m so sick of it. I guess I’m intrigued who would [leave the PGA Tour in favour of the Super League]. Certainly for the younger guys, like it just seems a massive risk. I can maybe make sense of it for the guys that are getting to the latter stages of their career, for sure. I don’t think that’s what a rival golf league is really; that’s not what they’re going to want, is it?

“They don’t want some sort of league that’s like a pre‑Champions tour. I don’t know. I understand the financial part of it for guys that are later on in their career. But you look at the people that have already said no. [Jon] Rahm, number one in the world, Morikawa, myself. You’ve got the top players in the world saying no, so that has to tell you something.”

McIlroy sits on the PGA Tour’s policy board and also discussed the organisation’s financial strength and future-proofing. “There’s a forecast through 2025,” the four-time major champion said. “Any forecast that the PGA Tour has produced in the last 10 years, they’ve hit their target. So the forecast for 2025, it looks good. I think the executive leadership team on the Tour are doing a really good job. It’s sort of a turbulent time in the world of professional golf but I think we’ve got the right people sort of doing the right things.”

Saudi Arabia, like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, is aiming to future-proof its oil-based economy by investing in sport, culture and tourism as society is forced to move towards sustainable energy sources in the decades to come. It hosted its first Formula 1 Grand Prix last December, and a Saudi-backed private investment fund purchased Premier League club Newcastle United in the autumn.

The governments of all three Middle Eastern states have been strongly criticised by human rights organisations for alleged abuses and anti-democratic practices, and have been accused of attempting to use ‘sportswashing’ in order to distract from such wrongdoing.