No sooner had World No. 2 Rory McIlroy stop to speak to the waiting media he was asked his reaction to Xander Schauffle’s negative comments concerning Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and whether Monahan remains the right person to lead the Tour.

Schauffele did not hide his feeling a day earlier declaring, in part, Monahan ‘had a long way to go’ before he regained the trust of the Olympic Games Gold Medal winner.

“I think so.  Yeah, I think so”, was McIlroy’s answer if Monahan is best to remain in charge

World No 2 Rory McIlroy backing the embattled Jay Monahan continuing in the role of PGA Tour Commissioner (Images – PGA Tour)

“You look at what Jay has done since he took over. The media rights deal, navigating us through COVID, the strategic alliance with the DP World Tour. I would say creating PGA Tour Enterprises, we were just able to accept a billion and a half dollars in the business, people can nit-pick and say he didn’t do this right or didn’t do that right, but if you actually step back and look at the bigger picture, I think the PGA Tour is in a far stronger position than when Jay took over”.

McIlroy was also quizzed if he thought it’s been ‘unfair’ how Monahan has been treated.

“I think some of the reaction to June 6th was warranted, but I think at this point it’s eight months ago, and we all need to move on. We all need to sort of move forward and try to bring the game back together”.

McIlroy tees-up this week at Tour HQ having won the Players Championship in 2019 and a defending champion title he held for two years given the 2020 Players was cancelled after just one round due to growing fears of the Covid-19 virus.

However it’s an event early next month that McIlroy was asked and returning to Augusta National for a 16th occasion and also this year being 10-years since he last won a major championship and needing to capture the Masters to open the door of the most exclusive membership in all of golf.

“I look at my record in the majors over the last couple of years, and I’ve definitely started to perform much more consistently in them”, he said

“Look, I’m under no illusion that the clock is ticking and it has been 10 years since I’ve won one of them, and I’ve had chances, and those just haven’t went my way. I just need to keep putting myself in those positions, and sooner or later it’s going to happen”.