Rory McIlroy abruptly left his position as a Player Director of the Tour’s Policy Board last week, with just one year remaining in his tenure.
The PGA Tour’s Jay Monahan sent out an email on Monday to all players announcing that the remaining five player directors elected Jordan Spieth as the successor to McIlroy, whose term expires in 2024. Golf Channel was the first to report.
Spieth (30) served on the Tour’s Player Advisory Council for two years in 2017 and 2018. He was PAC chairman in 2018 as well. From 2019-2021, he was a player director. Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay and Charley Hoffman are also player directors. Adam Scott, the current PAC chairman, will succeed Hoffman in 2024 as a player-director.
McIlroy has spent a lot of time in leadership roles with the Tour. He is a 34-year-old who has been the Tour’s loudest advocate for the past two years, since Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund joined the Tour. The four-time major winner was a member on the Player Advisory Council between 2019 and 21. He also served as the PAC chairman in 2021. He has served as a player director on the Policy Board for the past two years.
In a joint statement, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, Policy Board Chair Ed Herlihy and PGA Tour Player Director Rory McIlroy said: “Given his extraordinary time and efforts, and those of all his fellow Players Directors, Rory has invested in this Tour during an unprecedented transformational period, we understand and respect Rory’s decision to step aside in order to concentrate on his game, and his family.”
Spieth’s experience as a member of the policy board made it logical for the player directors to choose him to replace McIlroy during a time of turmoil. Some players with more opinions, such as Lanto Griffin for example might disagree.
