SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Professional golfer Rory McIlroy criticized the PGA Tour's proposed two-tier tournament system for 2028, warning it could diminish events like the Canadian Open. "An event like last week, the Canadian Open, potentially going to one of these track twos -- track two is a glorified Korn Ferry (developmental tour) event," McIlroy said. "That's what track two is going to be, so I don't think the Canadian Open should be one of those."

The PGA Tour is considering a new structure for 2028 that includes Track One for elite events and Track Two for events offering opportunities to qualify for Track One. The tour plans to increase fields to up to 130 players in Track One events and restore the 36-hole cut. Current PGA Tour event fields typically consist of around 72 players. The PGA Tour is expected to release more information about its new model next week after a board meeting.

McIlroy, who won the Canadian Open twice in the seven years prior to 2026, did not compete in the 2026 event. He stated he is not involved in the decision-making process for these changes. "I'm not in those rooms. I don't know," McIlroy said. "I play my schedule and I'll continue to play my schedule, which is getting less and less as the years go on." He also commented on the financial landscape shaped by rival league LIV Golf, which launched in 2022. "LIV created this false economy where we had to up prize funds and had to cut fields and try to support the top players and all that stuff, which I think needed to happen because that was the only way to retain talent at the time," McIlroy said.

McIlroy reflected on the tour's previous structure. "It's funny. Like I think, as they've done all this work, you start to realize that the way the tour was before LIV came along was actually pretty good," McIlroy said. "It was a pretty good structure, and everything sort of worked pretty well." He added, "But now that LIV looks like it's less of a threat, I think the old ways of the PGA Tour weren't actually that bad." The Saudi Public Investment Fund has decided to discontinue funding LIV Golf after the 2026 season.

Rory McIlroy is currently competing in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, New York. Last year, he participated in the Ryder Cup in the New York area. During the PGA Championship in Philadelphia, he exchanged heated words with a fan after the fan shouted "U-S-A!" following a shot.