TORONTO – Rory McIlroy can’t help but shake his head and sigh for the appearance of a new men’s professional circuit that hopes to rival the PGA Tour.
McIlroy will defend his crown at the RBC Canadian Open at St. George’s Golf and Country Club from Thursday. He said it was unfortunate that the inaugural event of the LIV Golf Invitational was held in front of the Canadian Open, the third oldest golf championship in the world.
“I’m a confessed golfer, historian and traditionalist nerd. Most of the oldest events in our game are national open,” said McIlroy, who said he has won five national openings, six if including those in Hong Kong. “One of the great things about our game is that you can somehow compare yourself to historical figures, figures I’ve never met before.
“I look at a trophy with my name and Walter Hagen’s name there or Gene Sarazen or Byron Nelson or Ben Hogan or Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer or whoever, and I think that’s one of the most interesting things about our sport. There aren’t many other sports that can be taken advantage of. “
After McIlroy won the Canada Open in 2019 at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club, the national championship was about to return to Toronto. However, travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic derailed it, and the tournament was canceled twice.
The LIV Golf Invitational is hosting its first event this week at the Centurion Club outside of London, England. The Saudi-backed league offers large sums of money guaranteed to some of the top names in men’s golf.
The most prominent player to jump the boat may be the 2018 Canadian Open champion Dustin Johnson, who resigned from his PGA Tour membership on Tuesday. Several outlets reported on Wednesday that top champions Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed would also likely drop out over the weekend.
McIlroy said Wednesday he would not put money ahead of the opportunity to play against the best golfers in the world.
“Look at the Canadian Open trophy and look at the names that are there. You are making your name in history by winning these national championships,” said McIlroy, No. 8 in the world. “Honestly, it’s something that money can’t buy or it’s something that money can’t give you.”
Five of the top 10 players in the world will play in St. Louis this week. George’s, including world number 1 Scottie Scheffler, number 4 Cam Smith, number 6 Justin Thomas and number 9 Sam Burns.
Scheffler said that apart from Johnson, who had been the face of the RBC team until he joined the LIV event, he hadn’t really noticed anyone missing.
“The best players in the world are here playing golf and I’m looking forward to competing against them this week,” Scheffler said. “I really don’t know what’s going on there, so I really don’t have much to say.”
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ontario, the 31st-ranked Canadian in the world at 31, will be joined by 19 of his compatriots in the field. No Canadian has won the national championship since Pat Fletcher achieved the feat in 1954 at Point Gray Golf and Country Club in Vancouver.
Conners said he believes Fletcher will soon be replaced as the latest Canadian to win the national title.
“I feel like now more than ever there are a lot of Canadian players and there are 20 Canadians playing this week and more and more Canadians participating in the PGA Tour,” Conners said. “It’s exciting to be part of this group and I think it’s a matter of time before someone changes history.”
If Conners or another Canadian wins the tournament on Sunday, McIlroy will be the first to congratulate them.
“Sixty-eight years old. Corey Conners is reported every five minutes,” McIlroy said of the Canadian drought amid laughter. “I’m sorry, I understand. There’s more stress, there’s more anxiety, you almost try too hard.
“It’s almost about letting go, going out and having fun playing.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 8, 2022.