Is Rory Mcllroy’s personal brand suffering from his outspoken stance on LIV?

Having missed the cut at the Players Championship after shooting +5, Rory Mcllroy left the 18th green at TPC Sawgrass and headed into the press room where he was asked by a string of journalists if his outspoken stance against LIV Golf was taking a toll on him. Specifically, the room full of curious reporters wanted to know if this ongoing battle against LIV, which Mcllroy is at the front of, was going to hurt his chances of winning the Masters.

An out-of-sorts Mcllroy at the Masters

Of course, you wouldn’t think this was the case as the latest US Masters betting odds price the Northern Irishman at just 8/1 to win his first-ever green jacket.

In fact, those golf betting prices on the upcoming Masters tournament don’t list anyone ahead of Mcllory in terms of being the favourite to win, with only Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler given the same chances at identical odds of 8/1. In other words, the experts are expecting a strong showing from Mcllroy at Augusta National and think he stands a good chance of completing the career Grand Slam in April.

It is, admittedly, a point of view that is at odds with the answer that Mcllroy gave to the world’s media when asked if he was feeling burned out from being the PGA Tour’s unofficial spokesman when it comes to the future of the professional game.

It is a role that Mcllroy has been in for the better part of a year and, even if it first inspired him after four tournament successes in 2022, it seems to have become a heavy burden to carry as he confessed to those in TPC Sawgrass’ media room after missing the Players Championship cut.

A lone voice in need of support

Going back to 2022 and the emergence of LIV Golf, the 33-year-old was the first player to publicly take a stand against the concept after turning down over two hundred million pounds from the organizers of the rebel-backed league to join the tour. It was a powerful decision that for all intents and purposes, avoided a mass exodus of players leaving the PGA Tour. Indeed, Mcllroy backed up his strong words with courageous actions, and ever since, the PGA Tour has relied on him to be the ambassador and champion of the organization’s integrity.

As touched on, the effects of this role have started to show, and even prompted Sky Sports journalist Andrew Coltart to say that other players on the PGA Tour have taken advantage of Mcllroy’s selfless nature in doing his best to keep the tour from imploding.

In essence, Coltart is strongly suggesting that other professionals on the tour take over from Mcllroy and let him return to focusing on being a golfer again, rather than playing the role of an activist. This is something that the Northern Irishman has previously said he would like to do as he seeks to put all his energy into adding to his major tally over the next few years.

Having built an incredibly strong brand off the course courtesy of his achievements on it, there is too much at stake for Mcllroy to lose by continuing to put this time into matters that the PGA Tour should be championing instead.