The point behind Rory McIlroy’s brutal LIV dagger

Golf Digest

You’ve got to hand it to Rory McIlroy, the man knows how to throw a haymaker. Asked in his Wednesday press conference at the BMW Championship if certain LIV golfers would bring value to the PGA Tour if allowed to return, the six-time major champ offered up this brutal response: “I would argue, have they brought value to LIV?”

Ouch!

Whether LIV survives past its finale this week in Indianapolis, how the league’s players who want to leave can work their way back to the PGA Tour is a critical yet volatile question to answer. CEO Brian Rolapp will face it (again) at next week’s Tour Championship, and I’m betting he’ll defer (again) to the notion that LIV players are still under contract so he can’t comment. Sooner than later, however, he and the tour need to spell out how this can work, if only to create clarity on the matter. Chances are it will require players to “play” their way back, a la Patrick Reed and Eugenio Chacarra. At least that’s how I’m seeing it after reading Scottie Scheffler’s quotes about the matter from our Dave Shedloski on the scene at the second FedEx Cup playoff event.

Top players see a way back for LIV golfers, but don't expect it to be easy

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler think those seeking a return from LIV will have their chances—but not without heavy challenges

By Dave Shedloski

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Dave Shedloski

Rory McIlroy seems fairly well settled on who is the favorite for PGA Tour Player of the Year and which man should be eliminated from consideration. The former is Scottie Scheffler. The latter is the two-time reigning Masters champion—which would be himself. “I’m not the player of the year. No chance,” McIlroy flatly stated Wednesday on the eve of the BMW Championship, the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. “Scottie is.” That seems definitive. But then he added some, um, colorful emphasis to his claim. “Well, sorry, there’s two weeks to go,” McIlroy said, allowing that there still is room for another contender to emerge. “But I firsthand watched [Scheffler] for the first two days last week, and he if he keeps playing like that … if he gains nine strokes on the greens every week, we're all F'd.” That’s Rory telling us how he really feels. He probably is not alone.

Tod Leonard

Lydia Ko and the other LPGA players in the CPKC Women’s Canadian Open have an additional foe this week in Edmonton: bugs. Locals are calling this the worst bug summer in years because of record-breaking June rainfall in Alberta, and the mosquitos are still buzzing along at Royal Mayfair Golf Club. There are reports that the mosquito population is 15 times larger than normal. It’s so bad that Ko said she tried three different insect repellents during her practice round, unsure if any are actually working. “I said to myself the only goal this week is to survive long sleeves and long pants and long socks, because I am not showing skin where it’s like unnecessary. I’m pretty known to wear a lot of sleeveless shirts, so there will be no arms showing this week. Just trying to be as covered and not become like buffet meat for the mosquitoes.” Bugs aside, the Hall of Famer is happy to return to the venue of her second career victory in 2013. She now has 23 wins.

Coleman Bentley

The best round of the week already happened. Relax, the BMW Championship didn’t start early. Nor did LIV Golf Indianapolis, despite the league’s race against the financial clock. Instead, the remarkable round of 58—including a jaw-dropping 27 on the inward nine—belonged to Minor League Golf Tour pro Domenico Geminiani, who got flamin’ hot with the flatstick on Wednesday. Just check out his scorecard if you don't believe us. There must be something in the air, as we’ve seen countless low numbers—including an elusive 59 from Michael Kim at the 3M Open—in recent weeks. Geminiani, who also moonlights as a pickleball pro, clearly caught the bug at Indian Spring Country Club, closing with a 35-foot birdie bomb on No. 17 and an 12-foot eagle make on the par-5 18th. Needless to say, that next beer is on us, DG.