McIlroy resigns from PGA Tour board position

Rory McIlroy has resigned from the PGA Tour’s Policy Board with the American circuit embroiled in high-level negotiations over how to fund its future.

McIlroy’s shock decision was revealed in a memo to the tour’s players issued by commissioner Jay Monahan, who thanked the golfer “for his dedication and commitment to the tour”.

At a time of unprecedented rancour and uncertainty in the men’s professional game, McIlroy had been a steadfast critic of the Saudi Arabia-funded breakaway LIV tour and was regarded as an arch PGA Tour loyalist.

But McIlroy revealed he felt like “a sacrificial lamb” after a secret framework agreement between the main US and European tours and the Saudi Public Investment Fund was announced in June this year.