Paul McGinley has never been a person to take a backward step nor having second thoughts when giving his view on any golf-related issue.
This has become so obvious in joining SKY Sports Golf with McGinley quickly establishing himself as easily the best and a go to person when it comes ‘to the point’ and ‘calling as it is’ remarks as an analyst in SKY’s team.
However, McGinley admitted he’s been hurt, hurt not in his role at SKY but in his position in being on the board of the European Tour by criticism directed at the DP World Tour, since the forming of an historic strategic alliance with the PGA Tour.
The alliance, in the 50th year of the European Tour, was established to set-up closer ties between both tours, and we saw the first example of the alliance with the co-sanctioning of a handful of DP World Tour events this year, including the Genesis Scottish Open.
“The comparison back to the good old days of Seve [Ballesteros] and [Bernhard] Langer is very unfair because the dynamics of golf have changed and the European market is totally dwarfed by the American market, McGinley said in an article in The Times.
“Playing schedules have changed and we are working with cards that have been played with us. There are some very clever business people on that board – I don’t mean me – and to be dismissed so easily as making stupid decisions is disrespectful”
“It’s not deserving and it hurts.” added McGinley.
The victorious 2014 European Ryder Cup captain also defended the move when it was first announced back in June, tweeting: “A lot of factors went into this decision with many dynamics at play, not just LIV, the need for a new linked eco system has been coming and is a natural evolution in today’s golfing landscape.”
Despite the criticism, Rory McIlroy has thrown his full support behind the alliance, and says we’ll see the benefits for the DP World Tour in 2024.
“I think it will be in 2024 when you’re going to start to see the benefits of this partnership,” said McIlroy.
“There’s a lot of moving parts to this. I think by giving everyone 15 months to get their head around it and put their heads together and come up with what I think is going to be an unbelievable calendar for golf in 2024, I think that’s a great thing.”
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