McIlroy says pendulum swings in PGA Tour's direction with return of Koepka and Reed

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Rory McIlroy believes the pendulum has swung more in the PGA Tour's favor with the return of Brooks Koepka from LIV Golf and Patrick Reed leaving the Saudi-funded league and being virtually assured a tour card for next year. "I'm all for anything that makes the PGA Tour stronger and those two guys coming back make the PGA Tour stronger," McIlroy said Tuesday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am, his first competition on American soil since Europe won the Ryder Cup last September before hostile New York fans. McIlroy, who went from being one of the harshest critics of LIV Golf to wanting to see some form of reconciliation, said he mainly cares about the PGA Tour putting together its best product. He has spoken about LIV players getting to the end of their original contracts, which included big signing bonuses, and the uncertainty whether they get a similar payoff or at least one that satisfies them. Reed could not come to an agreement with LIV when he decided to leave. Meanwhile, the PGA Tour has started a player equity program and is working toward a revamped scheduled geared toward a series of big events. "I think everything that's happened over the last few years, it forced the tour to think about things differently — create these signature events, but then rethink the entire schedule and what's going to happen '27 and beyond," McIlroy said. "I think the guys over there are maybe seeing that and it might entice them a little bit more." While he wants a stronger tour, he wasn't buying the PGA Tour's subtle renewal of the dialogue on whether The Players Championship is a major. McIlroy has won it twice, most recently a playoff over U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun last year. The PGA Tour released a promotion last week that ended with, "March is going to be Major." The Players Championship returned to its March date in 2019. "I think The Players is one of the best golf tournaments in the world. I don't think anyone disputes that or argues that," McIlroy said. "But ... I'm a traditionalist, I'm a historian of the game. We have four major championships. If you want to see what five major championships look like, look at the women's game. I don't know how well that went for them." The LPGA Tour added the Evian Championship in France as a fifth major in 2013 to avoid losing a tournament with one of the larger purses at the time. The first year, it was reduced to 54 holes. That also was the year Inbee Park went to St. Andrews for the Women's British Open with a shot at the calendar Grand Slam, only for it to spark debate whether it was a Grand Slam because the Evian was still to be played. Among those who have skipped the Evian over the years are Lexi Thompson and Stacy Lewis. McIlroy said The Players "doesn't need to be anything else." "It's an amazing tournament in its own right and I don't think it being classified a major or not a major makes it any more or any less," he said. "I'm still very proud to have won that tournament twice as I'm sure all the other champions are. It stands on its own without the label." McIlroy won at Pebble Beach for the first time last year, the start of a season that saw him win another Players and most notably the Masters, the major that gave him the career Grand Slam. He also helped Europe to another Ryder Cup victory before vitriolic fans at Bethpage. Asked whether finally winning the Masters or getting a road Ryder Cup victory was more difficult, McIlroy replied, "The Masters was more me against myself and the Ryder Cup was me against 50,000 New Yorkers. It's a little different." He mixed it up with a New York crowd, at one point telling fans to "shut the (expletive) up." McIlroy says he's always had a good reception in the U.S. and hopes that continues. "The reception that I get most places ... everywhere I go play is usually amazing and I'm deeply grateful for that," he said. "I think the Ryder Cup was just a one-off."