“Fractured and disjointed,” Rory McIlroy urges Jon Rahm to remove ‘rose-tinted glasses’ after comment on golf entering ‘golden era’

Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy discuss golf entering the ‘golden era’ and how the sport still remains divided with the ongoing PGA-LIV saga.

“Fractured and disjointed,” Rory McIlroy urges Jon Rahm to remove ‘rose-tinted glasses’ after comment on golf entering ‘golden era’

Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy [Image Credit: Imago]

Rory McIlroy recently took a shot at Jon Rahm following the latter’s comment on golf entering the “golden era”. Prior to the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Rahm commented on the LIV-PGA divide and how the sport has not yet come close to being mended even after all these years.

However, Rahm believes that golf is in a better spot and with all the possibilities it has after the merger can be beneficial to the sport overall. With players coming together from different tours and different parts of the world, Rahm believes unity can raise the level of the game.

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However, his former PGA Tour teammate, Rory McIlroy, defers from his opinion. On Wednesday, McIlroy asked Jon Rahm to remove his “rose-tinted glasses” and see where the sport stands right now – “too fractured and too disjointed.”

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Very rose-tinted glasses if you ask me…There’s amazing players that play in all different tours and parts of the world and everything, which is great. But at the same time, it’s become too fractured and too disjointed….I would share his optimism if the game wasn’t as disjointed and as fractured as it was.

Rory McIlroy as per Josh Schrock of Golf.com.
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Unfortunately, McIlroy couldn’t share Rahm’s optimism when it comes to the sport. He believes a merger can mend parts of it but until it happens it is just “fractured” as of now. 

Jon Rahm questions fairness as LIV Golfers get denied of OWGR 

Jon Rahm recently spoke on LIV Golf not receiving OWGR at the start of 2025. He expressed that he was upset about how the feud between PGA Tour–LIV Golf has still continued with no solution in between.

Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm [Image Credit: Imago]

Furthermore, their divided views have ended LIV player’s dream of inclusion in the World Rankings. In 2023, World Ranking effectively rejected any offers to include LIV players in the listings. They believed doing so would give the rival league an unfair advantage over PGA Tour players. 

I think at this point to not give LIV World Ranking points and the credibility it deserves, I think is wrong…There should be a way for us to qualify. And the World Ranking points, need to figure something out because it’s not fair for anybody in that sense.

Jon Rahm as per James Colgan of Golf.com.

Rahm said he believed that the Saudi league would pursue the OWGR matter further after his signing but there has been no progress. While many believed it was the price for leaving the PGA Tour, World Ranking rejected the OWGR plea due to LIV not meeting its requirements.

For them to receive an advantage in their plea, they needed two key criteria for inclusion – player turnover and promotion/relegation. While these were not met, the World Ranking system could not find a way to include LIV Golfers to distribute points evenly.

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As of now, there doesn’t seem to be a chance that the LIV players will be included in the OWGR. This is making them lose participation in many events which are solely based on ranking. A change seems impossible, but any signs of mending between the two leagues is yet to be seen.