Rory McIlroy Calling For A 'World Tour' Ahead Of His Move To England Feels Like The Start Of His Villain Arc | Mark Harris

It's Rory McIlroy's world and we're all just living in it.

Over the last decade or so - and certainly since LIV Golf arrived on the scene in 2022 - McIlroy has been looked at by most fans and media members alike as the voice of reason. He took on the role of unofficial spokesperson of the PGA Tour with a rival Saudi-backed circuit becoming a threat and bashed anyone tied to LIV.

McIlroy was fighting the good fight and standing up for the Tour against a Saudi regime with a deplorable human rights record while still being one of the most exciting golfers on the planet. McIlroy was looked at by some as a sporting hero.

With a new reality beginning to take shape on June 6, 2023, when the Tour and Saudi PIF announced plans for a merger, that version of Rory McIlroy understandably began to fade.

Rory McIlroy has continued to get a bit softer towards LIV Golf. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Despite McIlroy waving the white flag to the Saudis and accepting that LIV Golf appears to very much be a part of pro golf both now and in the future, he's still largely seen as the tone-setter for the sport as a whole.

READ: RORY MCILROY FINALLY COMES TO REALIZATION THAT JUDGING PLAYERS WHO LEFT FOR LIV GOLF WAS A MISTAKE

That's a role that comes with the territory of being that exact person for well over a decade, but given his living situation and his recent description of what his "dream scenario" for professional golf would look like, it may be time for the sport to seek out a new compass-altering voice.

McIlroy is building a house in England with plans of moving from Florida and making the new home across the pond his family's permanent base. Given that McIlroy is worth hundreds of millions of dollars and flies privately whenever and to wherever, moving to England wouldn't appear to be noteworthy, but it absolutely is.

Rory McIlroy moving to England amid his 'world tour' wish is worth a mention. Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking ahead of his season debut at this week's DP World Tour Dubai Invitational, McIlroy laid out details about the direction he wants professional golf to go.

"My dream scenario is a world tour, with the proviso that corporate America has to remain a big part of it all. Saudi Arabia, too. That’s just basic economics," McIlroy told Golf Digest. "But there is an untapped commercial opportunity out there. Investors always want to make a return on their money. Revenues at the PGA Tour right now are about $2.3 billion. So how do we get that number up to four or six? To me, it is by looking outward. They need to think internationally and spread their wings a bit. I’ve been banging that drum for a while.

"We could end up with something that resembles Formula One, but with a little more of an American presence. Throw in the four majors and you have a brilliant schedule for the top 70-100 guys, whatever the number is. We’d have, say a 22-event schedule. That would look pretty good to me.”

McIlroy spent the better part of two years bashing LIV Golf, whose global schedule sounds a lot like this "world tour" he made note of. Mentioning this dream scenario seems awfully convenient for McIlroy to all of the sudden lay out with his upcoming plans to leave the United States for England.

While anyone can sympathize with McIlroy wanting his life to be made as simple as possible, his comments cross the line from being 'human' to being overly selfish and egotistical.

Rory McIlroy conveniently wants a 'world tour' to take form in professional golf. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

Reality changes and it continues to do so by the day in professional golf. With that comes the ability to form new opinions, but this egregious 180 from Rory McIlroy can't just be ignored simply because he's Rory McIlroy and 'did the right thing' for 18 months.

Whether you think it's wrong or not, the fact of the matter is that Rory has gone from looking out for the PGA Tour and its members to worrying about nothing but himself. Some will see it that way, while others will continue to look at him as the face of golf, but the opinion on McIlroy has never been more divided.

Follow Mark Harris on X @itismarkharris and email him at mark.harris@outkick.com