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Did Rory McIlroy just take a shot at his own equipment move?

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Rory McIlroy just isn’t having it.

The defending RBC Canadian Open champion continues to refuse to have anything to do with the LIV Golf series, seemingly surprised and upset that many of his on-course rivals have jumped ship.

On Wednesday, the four-time Major champion re-iterated his desire to stick with the status quo, giving tradition and history of the game amongst his reasons.

“I’m a self-confessed golf nerd, historian, traditionalist. Most of the oldest events in our game are national opens,” said McIlroy, who mentioned his five national opens, six if you include Hong Kong’s. “One of the great things about our game is you can in some way compare yourself to historical figures, figures that I’ve never met before.

“I look at a trophy that my name’s on and Walter Hagen’s name is on there or Gene Sarazen or Byron Nelson or Ben Hogan or Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer or whoever it is, and I think that’s one of the coolest things about our sport that not a lot of other sports can sort of tap into.”

“You look at the Canadian Open trophy and you look at the names that are on that. You’re putting your name in history by winning these national championships,” said McIlroy, ranked No. 8 in the world.

He seemingly then had a little jibe at the likes of Dustin Johnson and Ryder Cup team-mates Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Greame McDowell and Ian Poulter by confirming, “Honestly, it’s something that money can’t buy or it’s something that money can’t give you.”

McIlroy has also told reporters this week that,”any decision you make in your life purely for money usually doesn’t end up going the right way.”

Whilst this was a phrase among a host of paragraphs discussing the you-know-what tour, was he talking from experience?

In 2013, a young McIlroy joined Tiger Woods as brand ambassador for Nike Golf, explaining this was for “a number of reasons.”

At the time, he explained, “”It’s a company and a brand that resonates with me. It’s young, it’s athletic and it’s innovative. They are committed to being the best, as am I. Signing with Nike is another step towards living out my dream.”

His initial struggles with the new clubs were widely reported although he did win two majors with the set – the 2014 PGA and Open Championships – before Nike decided to stop producing clubs and concentrate on apparel, the famous ‘swoosh’ appearing proud on McIlroy’s cap at press conferences this week.

Whatever the outcome with that lucrative deal, he is adamant that he isn’t going anywhere, let alone the LIV tour, at the moment.

“I can spend a lot of time at home with my family if I want to, prioritize the majors and there is nothing about my schedule or my life or my earnings or anything that I would change.”

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19th Hole

“Is it a Titleist?” – Jerry Seinfeld shares never-before-heard details of iconic scene

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On Thursday, legendary comedian Jerry Seinfeld joined the Rich Eisen Show and shared an awesome story from a “Seinfeld” episode titled “The Marine Biologist.”

In the episode, a golf ball goes into the blow hole of a whale. According to Seinfeld, that was never in the episode’s script.

Seinfeld recalls saying the night before the filming of the episode, “What if what puts the whale in distress is Kramer’s golf ball?”

“He’s hitting golf balls at the beach. George is at the beach with a girl, we haven’t connected them!”

“We write that speech the night before at two o’clock in the morning…The sea was angry that day my friend.”

 

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A post shared by Rich Eisen (@richeisen)


Kramer finishes the iconic scene by asking “Is it a Titleist?” Seinfeld told Eisen the show sought Titleist’s permission to mention its name, saying the ball had to be a Titleist. Fortunately for lovers of the iconic show, the company agreed.

If (somehow) you’re unfamiliar with the scene, check it out below.

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Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game ‘on a much more global basis’

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While speaking with Bloomberg, golf legend Phil Mickelson acknowledged that he is inching close towards retirement.

“I’m 53 now,” Phil said, “and my career, you know, it’s — if I’m being truthful, it’s on — it’s — it’s — I’m a — it’s towards its end.”

Mickelson added that one of his focuses now is helping other young players.

“Now, I would like to help others find the same enjoyment and fulfillment that the game has provided me. I’d like them to experience that as well.”

The six-time major champion credited LIV with reaching new markets in golf to help it grow.

“I think that’s exciting for everyone involved in the game because we are going to reach markets that we didn’t reach before. I think it’s going to inspire more golf courses, inspire more manufacturers selling clubs and equipment, but also inspiring young kids to try to play golf professionally. I just see that the game of golf is going to grow on a much more global basis because of the excitement and the presence that LIV Golf has.”

Mickelson is playing at this week’s LIV Singapore and shot a first round 72 (+1).

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Tiger explains why golf has ‘negative connotations’ for daughter Sam

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While Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, has certainly inherited his father’s love for golf, his daughter, Sam, has not.

On Wednesday, Tiger made an appearance on The Today Show with Carson Daly and explained his daughter’s relationship with golf.

“Golf has negative connotations for her. When she was growing up, golf took daddy away from her. I had to pack, I had to leave, and I was gone for weeks. So, there were negative connotations to it.

“We developed our own relationship and our own rapport outside of golf. We do things that doesn’t involve golf. Meanwhile, my son and I, everything we do is golf related.”

The nine-minute interview touches on plenty of other subjects, such as Tiger’s relationship with his late father, Earl.

It’s arguably the most open we’ve seen the 15-time major champion in an interview and is most definitely worth watching.

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