With the LIV Golf circuit about to launch Thursday outside London, Rory McIlroy is more than 3,000 miles away, readying for a title defense at the RBC Canadian Open that’s two years in the making.
The Canadian Open, one of the oldest national championships in golf, is back this year after a two-year absence because of the COVID-19 pandemic. McIlroy is the defending champion, technically, after his stirring final-round 61 to win in 2019.
McIlroy met with the media Wednesday, but the tenor of the press conference wasn’t the typical reflection of a past accomplishment. The future of professional golf is at a crossroads, and McIlroy needed to address it.