Rory McIlroy’s return to the top of golf’s world rankings could hardly be better timed.
The Northern Irishman is completing a stellar season, combining consistent excellence with his self-appointed ambassadorial role on behalf of the sport’s status quo as it battles the existential threat posed by the lucrative LIV Tour.
McIlroy reassuming his position at the summit of the game coincides with the climax of the inaugural LIV season and the most lucrative team event in the sport’s history.
Greg Norman’s breakaway circuit is set to trumpet its $50m (£44m) finale at Donald Trump’s Doral venue in Miami, starting on Friday. The winning team will split $16m.
McIlroy, 33, is the leading general in the unprecedented civil war that currently dominates the game. He tackles it from the front, using every opportunity to lob verbal grenades at Norman and his richly remunerated cast of recruits.
