Online support and sympathy for Rory McIlroy after shock LIV Golf merger

An announcement by the PGA Tour to agree to merge commercial operations under common ownership comes after a year of unprecedented disruption in the men's professional game following the launch of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit.

Four-time major winner McIlroy has been both fierce and vocal supporter of the PGA Tour and strong critic of the breakaway LIV Golf movement.

McIlroy, who took a break earlier this year for his “mental and emotional wellbeing”, has spent a significant amount of time in the spotlight juggling the demands of competition and a role as unofficial spokesman for the PGA Tour in the battle with LIV Golf.

"After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love," PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement confirming the merger. "This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA Tour's history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV - including the team golf concept - to create an organization that will benefit golf's players, commercial and charitable partners and fans."

There was no official comment from McIlroy or his camp in the aftermath of the announcement.

However, immediate support in recognition of McIlroy’s past public stance was a common theme online following the news, across posts covering media figures and golf fans.

@JoelMBeall: There's so much to unpack, but the thing I keep going back to is this: Rory McIlroy took a stand for what he believed was right – which brought an invisible pain and weight that can't be measured – and was sold out by the very thing he was trying to defend.

@SiClancy: Absolutely this. Rory stood up for something bigger than sport and - just as history tells us he would - got absolutely railroaded for it.

@MartySmithESPN: Imagine how Rory McIlroy feels right now. He put Monahan and the Tour on his back and carried them through the s--- storm while some of his best buddies scored $150M deals and prepared for Majors. All to land right back here. Almost impossible to fathom.

@The9067120341: He gained lots of respect along the way for standing up for what he feels is right.

@ChadANashville: Rory passes on a massive payday. Rory defends the PGA to the point of exhaustion. Rory takes shots at Euro players and Ryder Cup participation. Rory is FINED for not playing at Harbor Town by the PGA. PGA pivots and unites with Liv. Unbelievable.

The announcement will lead to a "mutually-agreed" end to all pending litigation between the various organisations.

An anti-trust lawsuit against the PGA Tour was originally filed last August by 11 golfers before being taken over by LIV Golf. It was due to be heard in 2024.

In April, the DP World Tour won its legal battle against 12 LIV players who committed "serious breaches" of the Tour's code of behaviour by playing in LIV Golf events without permission.

The subsequent increased fines and suspensions prompted Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson to resign their memberships and become ineligible for the Ryder Cup.

Those players could now return to the fold, with the Tours pledging to establish a "fair and objective process" for players to re-apply for membership after the end of this season.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) will initially be the exclusive investor in the new entity and have the right of first refusal on any capital to be invested.

The PGA Tour will appoint a majority of the Board and hold a majority voting interest in the combined entity, with PIF's governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan the chairman and Monahan the CEO.

DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said: "This is a momentous day. We are delighted to be able to not only reignite our relationship with PIF, but also to have the opportunity to build on our current Strategic Alliance partnership with the PGA Tour.

"Together we will be stronger than ever and well positioned to continue to bring the game to all corners of the globe. To partner in this new entity and influence the growth of the game for all our DP World Tour members is energizing and exciting."

Felix Jakens, Amnesty International UK’s head of priority campaigns and individuals at risk, said: “While this may have taken some golf fans and commentators by surprise, it’s really just more evidence of the onward march of Saudi sportswashing.

“It’s been clear for some time that Saudi Arabia was prepared to use vast amounts of money to muscle its way into top-tier golf – just part of a wider effort to become a major sporting power and to try to distract attention from the country’s atrocious human rights record.”

He added how ”it’s vital that this latest surge in Saudi sportswashing isn’t allowed to obscure the increasingly dire human rights situation in Saudi Arabia”.