Rory McIlroy gave Liverpool owner John Henry blunt ‘No’ reply in private PGA Tour chat

7ory McIlroy, the four-time major champion, downplayed any sense of player ownership within the PGA Tour during a private meeting with John Henry, the chief of Strategic Sports Group (SSG). The meeting came after SSG’s recent $1.5 billion investment in PGA Tour Enterprises, a move led by Henry, who also owns Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox through Fenway Sports Group (FSG).

Henry’s foray into professional golf followed the PGA Tour’s announcement of a strategic alignment with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). This alliance aimed to end the ongoing rivalry with LIV Golf, an effort first announced over a year ago. Despite the framework agreement, a final deal with PIF has yet to materialize. During this period of uncertainty, Henry and SSG entered the scene in early 2024, pledging billions to bolster the American-based golf circuit.

This venture into golf wasn’t Henry’s first. FSG had also invested in Boston Common, one of the six franchises in the innovative TGL golf league. McIlroy, co-founder of TGL with Tiger Woods, is one of the four players for Boston Common and was hosted by Henry at Fenway Park following FSG’s investment.

According to the Boston Globe, during their discussion, Henry asked McIlroy if he felt a sense of ownership over the PGA Tour. McIlroy’s response was a straightforward “No.” Shortly thereafter, Henry and his SSG partners met with the PGA Tour’s player directors, including McIlroy and Woods, to present their plans for the tour. SSG faced competition from three other bidders, but eventually won the support of the tour’s leaders.

Despite resigning from his role as a player director on the PGA Tour’s policy board last November, McIlroy expressed support for the SSG investment. He commented positively on the new partnership in February, stating, “I definitely would have voted for it. The group assembled to invest in PGA Tour Enterprises, not the PGA Tour itself, is outstanding. They have extensive experience in sports ownership over the past 30 years. I’ve gotten to know them well, especially the Fenway consortium, through our work on the TGL team. They have the best intentions for the game of golf, which is great news.”