McIlroy for US President as Norman declares ‘Cold War’ with PGA Tour hasn’t thawed

Bernie McGuire
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Rory McIlroy (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Bernie McGuire

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It can never happen but it’s a nice gesture in any case with one of Rory McIlroy’s PGA Tour playing companions, and likely Ryder Cup rival next year in Rome, reckoning the Northern Irishman has been so good on the political side of golf he should be nominated for the US Presidency.

That’s the call from young American sensation Will Zalatoris with the 26-year full of praise for the role the current World No. 2 has taken on in the PGA Tour’s dispute with LIV Golf.

McIlroy is Chairman of the PGA Tour Players Advisory Committee, a position that involves the four-time major champion sitting at the same boardroom table as those running the PGA Tour.

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The 26-year-old Zalatoris, who has contested 10 majors in his short pro career and been runner-up in three, including this year’s US Open and PGA Championship, and he labelled McIlroy as ‘golf’s hero’ and ‘the player who saved professional golf’.

And the Californian-born Zalatoris reckons McIlroy’s been that good when it comes to dealing with the politics of the greatest threat to the PGA Tour he could be President of the United States.

“If Rory was born in the United States, I’d vote for him for President because he’s just one of the most intelligent, well spoken, introspective people I’ve ever met,” said Zalatoris in a Depth podcast. “He’s such a good custodian of the game. We’re lucky to have a guy like that.”

LIV’s fifth three-day event begins in Chicago on Friday, with CEO Greg Norman saying he is no longer seeking a truce with the PGA Tour.

Norman told The Australian newspaper the Cold War began with LIV luring away several high-profile golfers with lucrative guaranteed contracts and it hasn’t thawed, so they’re ready to move on.

“That’s why we are where we are today,” Norman said. “We tried awfully hard—I know I did personally for the past year. … When we knew we were never going to hear from them, we just decided to go.”

He added: “We have no interest in sitting down with them, to be honest with you, because our product is working.”

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