Rory McIlroy delivers potentially fatal blow to £183m Premier Golf League by saying he is ‘out’
RORY McILROY has sensationally snubbed the chance to play in the £183million Premier Golf League by declaring: "I'm out."
The world No 1's admission that he wants no part of the proposed rival to the PGA Tour could mean it fails before it has even begun.
A world tour made up of 18 events and 48 players was being hailed as a revolutionary breakaway from the lucrative US circuit and European Tour.
Tiger Woods and Justin Rose have been approached about joining but remained tight-lipped about committing to the British-backed league, funded by Saudi money.
Not so McIlroy, though, with the four-time Major champion announcing before the start of Thursday's WGC-Mexico Championship that he wants no part of it.
Northern Ireland's McIlroy, 30, said: "The more I've thought about it, the more I don't like it.
"The one thing as a professional golfer in my position that I value is that I have autonomy and freedom over everything that I do.
";I pick and choose. This is a perfect example. Some guys this week made the choice not to come to Mexico.
"If you go and play this other golf league, you're not going to have that choice.
Money's cheap, money's easy. I want to be on the right side of history.
Rory McIlroy
"I read a thing the other day that said if you take the money they can tell you what to do so if you don't take the money they can't tell you what to do.
"I think that's my thing. I've never been one for being told what to do and I like to have that autonomy and freedom over my career.
"I feel like I would give that up by going to play this other league so for me, I'm out.
"My position is I'm against it until there may come a day that I can't be against it. If everyone else goes I might not have a choice.
"But at this point I don't like what they're proposing.
"Money's cheap. Money's the easy part. It shouldn't be the driving factor. For some people it is.
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"But at the end of the day I value my freedom and my autonomy over everything else.
"I want to be on the right side of history with this one. I value a lot of other things over money and that's my stance on it at this point."
And quizzed about Woods taking part, McIlroy added: "Tiger's 44. He's got two young kids. He openly said last week he wants to play 12 times a year. This league's proposing 18. So he's not going to do it."