McIlroy eyes revamp as Brooks sets his sights on world No.1 spot

RORY McILROY last night declared his backing for uniting golf’s two major tours in a postpandemic future for the sport. But Brooks Koepka, who will join him on the tee in today’s PGA Tour return, is purely focused on getting closer to his world No.1 status. McIlroy will tee up at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas today as a star-studded field marks an end to the three-month shutdown. The world’s top five players will be at Colonial Country Club, with the three finest – McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Koepka – in a mouthwatering group. A proposed Premier Golf League was given short shrift by McIlroy and a number of his fellow pros before the sport entered its hiatus. However, the Northern Irishman suggested that the recent sense of co-operation between those involved at the top could lead to more dramatic structural changes – such as a world tour. The European Tour will return next month with prize funds down.

McIlroy said: “If anything I think this pandemic has highlighted the fact that the game of golf at the highest level needs to be simplified.

“I think it’s opened some people’s eyes up to the fact that we can all sort of work a little bit better together in this world. There’s too many funnels, there’s too many channels. “I think for the health of both tours... a world tour is something I’ve always wanted. “But it has to be done the right way. I’ve sort of been calling for it for a while. Whether it’s some European Tour events offering FedExCup points and some PGA Tour events offering Race to Dubai points, I don’t know. But just a little bit more cohesion.” While McIlroy played a televised charity match in

BY DALE RANKIN

Florida last month, today marks the sport’s competitive return.

And the 31-year-old said: “This week is very important because golf will be the centre of the sports world, which it usually is a few weeks a year.

“For people to have something to watch on TV where they actually don’t know the outcome is going to be nice for them. I’m excited.”

McIlroy believes his sport is perfectly suited to the new normal imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

But he pleaded for patience off punters watching from home.

He said: “It’s an important week because golf can show that we can play in a socially distant manner.

“We can conduct a tournament and adhere to all the safety protocols that have been put in place.

“It is going to be very easy to fall back into old habits because it’s just what we’ve done. I’d say for the viewing public just to give the players and the caddies a little bit of leeway in terms of if they see something on TV that isn’t quite right.”

McIlroy will take to the first tee with Koepka, who declares he feels “like a new person” after using the break to get his left knee healthy.

The four-time Major winner, said: “I’ve got eyes on Rory. The goal is to get back to No.1 in the world.”

The event at Colonial will include a minute’s silence at 8.46am local time each day in tribute to George Floyd, while an 8.46am tee time has been set aside that will feature no players. Eight minutes and 46 seconds is the length of time prosecutors say the unarmed black man was pinned to the ground under a white police officer’s knee before he died last month. McIlroy dubbed the PGA Tour move “a wonderful gesture” while Koepka said: “8.46, it’s going to be special.

“There needs to be change and I want to be part of the solution.”