The golf landscape is nothing short of contentious right now.
With the ongoing divide in the men’s professional game at the forefront of discussion in the sport, it’s no surprise that the players taking active and vocal roles in golf’s reunification are subject to plenty of criticism. Rory McIlroy certainly fits that bill.
McIlroy has been in the headlines this week for speaking candidly about changes the PGA Tour has undergone since the inception of LIV Golf a few years ago. Specifically, McIlroy discussed how, without LIV’s disruption, it’s unlikely that the PGA Tour’s purses would have increased as dramatically as they have in recent years.
“I look at what I made in 2019 before LIV came around and I look at what I’ve made after LIV came around and it’s very different,” McIlroy told reporters before the Genesis Invitational this week. “Like, I don’t know what to say, I earn more money now than I did in 2019 and if LIV hadn’t have come around, I don’t know if I would have been able to say that.”
That comment rubbed one Golf Channel analyst the wrong way.
Johnson Wagner, a rising star in golf television, derided Rory’s comments following the first round of the Genesis Invitational on Thursday. He claimed his perspective painted a rosy picture that didn’t consider golf’s many other stakeholders.
. @johnson_wagner with some pointed commentary on @McIlroyRory‘s presser yesterday. “He just is seeing things from such a finite perspective, from his perspective.” pic.twitter.com/fcqCNVrtBU
— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) February 14, 2025
“The fact that he’s talking about, ‘We’ve all benefited,’ like, he just is seeing things from such a finite perspective; from his perspective,” Wagner began. “You know who hasn’t benefited since all of this has gone on? The sponsors that pay all the bills for the PGA Tour events. Because TV is down, everything is down, yet they’re being asked to pay more money. So good for you, I’m glad you’re making more money than you were in ’19, which was a ton of money.
“Rory said some things over the last couple of seasons that have rubbed a lot of players the wrong way, and now he wants everybody to get over it. He’s pushing for a small world tour. He’s trying to get his way in every way. I’m a huge fan of Rory, but he’s angering me right now.”
It’s rare for an analyst in any sport to take such direct aim at a player, but Wagner’s criticism is valid, albeit probably unpopular.
McIlroy is unapologetically calling it how he sees it based on his years of being the Tour’s de facto spokesperson against LIV. But just because McIlroy was the PGA Tour’s poster child for a few years doesn’t protect him from criticism.
Wagner is right. Last year’s PGA Tour ratings were down significantly. Despite this, the Tour asked sponsors to give more money to fund purse increases. So, sponsors were paying more money for fewer viewers, and the Tour didn’t even have all of the world’s top golfers competing at its events because many were over at LIV. Predictably, the Tour saw several longtime sponsors drop out.
But that’s not really what McIlroy’s comments were about. McIlroy mentioned this in context because he was unsatisfied with the status quo. He wants reunification sooner rather than later. He’s just being a realist about how LIV impacted the amount of money pro golfers made in a big way.
From a media perspective, however, it’s good to see Wagner speak his mind. Sports like golf and tennis, where former-players-turned-analysts often have chummy relationships with current players, can sometimes lack critical discourse.
Johnson Wagner certainly didn’t fall victim to that on Thursday evening.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.