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More details emerge about heated PGA Tour player meeting and harsh words aimed at Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy talks to the press - Jun 2023

Rory McIlroy found himself embroiled in a heated exchange that turned very nasty as PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan addressed the players over the merger with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.

More information has emerged about the heated exchange between Rory McIlroy and another PGA Tour player as PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan addressed the players over the merger with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.

Reports started breaking on Wednesday that McIlroy had been involved in a fiery confrontation during the players' meeting, which took place at the Canadian Open, with Golf Channel later confirming that the other player involved in the incident was PGA tour pro Grayson Murray.

Despite being one of the most outspoken critics of LIV Golf and Saudi Arabia's investment in it, McIlroy has chosen to back PGA tour boss Monahan in his decision to merge the tour's commercial operations with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.

However, many other players were far less impressed with Monahan's about-turn, while they were also unhappy about being kept out of the loop until the news broke on Tuesday, and they made it clear during the meeting.

Golf Channel claims McIlroy "didn't say much during the meeting" but chose to speak up when World No 227 Grayson Murray shouted for Monahan to resign, saying "we don't trust you, Jay - you lied to our face".
McIlroy reportedly yelled back "just play better, Grayson", which "got a bad response from the crowd" and led to the American telling McIlroy to "f-- off".

Grayson Murray

While others dispute this version of events, what is not in doubt is that many players did feel blindsided and betrayed by the decision.
Ryan Armour, a member of the Player Advisory Council, admitted there was "a lot of disappointment".
"What I have been told by my peers is that they feel betrayed right now.
"There must have been 20-25 guys who used that word. They feel backstabbed. And they feel slighted.
"For a year and a half now, we have been told how evil certain golf leagues are, how evil their funding is and where it's coming from. No financials have changed hands yet, but the mood in the room is that guys feel used."
Geoff Ogilvy agreed.
"I'm glad I wasn't Jay today," said the 2006 US Open champion. "There's some grumpy players in there. I feel a little bit sort of, not lied to, but just that the tour has sort of changed its position quickly and dropped it on us really fast. So maybe there's a feeling of a lack of trust a little bit in the leadership.
"It just feels like nobody really knows what's happening and the players are out of the loop. But no one really ever likes being out of a loop. You know, everyone likes a bit of information, and especially when it's your livelihood and your job and the sport that you love."

Monahan insisted the merger was necessary to put an end to ongoing litigation and the civil war that has been tearing the golf world apart, and could do little but admit that the new merger appears hypocritical considering some of the morally-tinged arguments he had previously made in criticising the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour.

"I recognise that people are going to call me a hypocrite," he said. "But anytime I said anything, I said it based on the information I had at the moment, and based on someone trying to compete for the PGA Tour and our players. I accept those criticisms."

READ MORE: 'I still hate LIV' - Rory McIlroy admits merger is better for golf despite being 'sacrificial lamb'

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