Rory McIlroy responded to PGA Tour veteran and Player Advisory Council member Charley Hoffman after Hoffman sent a letter to the full PGA Tour membership that included some pointed remarks that McIlroy took as directed at him.
In the letter, Hoffman chided players who commit to playing outside the PGA Tour despite saying they don't have time to play more PGA Tour events.
“If we truly care about strengthening our Tour, we should be supporting as many PGA Tour events as we can," Hoffman wrote. "Many of you keep saying you want to play fewer events, yet you still find time for TGL, Race to Dubai, and other non-PGA Tour events, and that’s going to continue regardless of field size.”
McIlroy, a co-founder of TGL and a member of the DP World Tour, took exception.
I asked Rory McIlroy about the letter Charley Hoffman wrote.
No surprise, he gave me a thoughtful answer and clearly took it a bit personally... pic.twitter.com/amkHqbEfgh
— Joe I (@TourPicks) February 5, 2025
"I think the thing he forgot to mention is the PGA Tour owns 20 percent of TGL, so he's criticizing his own product," McIlroy said in response to a question from Joe Idone regarding the letter. "They also own a good chunk of European Tour Productions."
McIlroy continued, "He talks about having it be for the good of the Tour, but he's also talking about himself, as well. I thought a couple of them were pointed at me a little bit because TGL, Race to Dubai, non-PGA Tour events like the Showdown that Scottie and I did in December, I've been vocal about not wanting to play quite as much so it seemed like it was pointed at me.
"Look, what every player has to do is look out for themselves. We have to do what's best for our own individual careers, and yes, at the back of our mind try to do whatever we can to help the Tour, but I think the best way for any of us to help the Tour is to tee it up and play as best we can."
Hoffman also decried the application of the Aon Swing 5, which is used to fill out Signature fields based on the top five earners in FedEx Cup points from standard events played in between Signature events.
At the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, just two players got into the initial field from the Aon Swing 5, and then three players on the alternate list got in after the Farmers Insurance Open based on the Aon Swing 5.
“So, in my mind we only got two new unique playing opportunities for our members," Hoffman wrote. "We will be sure to continue monitoring this to make sure these initiatives help the guys they’re meant to.”
McIlroy had a barb in response.
"[Hoffman] was criticizing the Aon Swing 5," he said. "He was sixth in that."
Additionally, Hoffman addressed pace-of-play concerns and encouraged his peers to speed up more frequently.
“We all need to take responsibility to be ready when it’s our turn to play and having the awareness to realize that we are out of position and speed up even before the rules official shows up," he wrote. "We do it all the time, we just need to be more aware of it!”
