‘Common sense prevailed’ – Rory McIlroy welcomes blocking of LIV rebels’ bid to play in FedEx Cup

Rory McIlroy has praised the decision to block three LIV rebels from playing the PGA Tour’s end-of-season FedEx Cup series, saying that “common sense prevailed”.

Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones had challenged the PGA Tour’s barring of LIV defectors from the playoff events having qualified for the FedEx Cup.

The PGA Tour has barred players that have entered the breakaway series from playing on tour and Gooch, Swafford and Jones remain excluded from this weekend’s opening FedEx Cup event in Memphis.

McIlroy, a consistent and strong critic of the LIV Golf Series, welcomed the news, and hopes that the focus can now remain on performances on the course.

“It lets us focus on the important stuff, which is the golf. We can all move forward and not have that sideshow going on for the next few weeks, which is nice.

“I don’t feel like it’s my job to be up here and sticking up for the PGA Tour or being a spokesperson; it’s just the role I have found myself in.

“I feel when I then get myself inside the ropes I feel that no-one can get to me and that’s really nice. It’s made the golf more enjoyable – if anything it has probably helped my golf.”

Gooch, Swafford and Jones are among a group of 11 players challenging their suspensions which also includes Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter and Bryson DeChambeau.

Poulter, and other defectors who are members, retain playing rights on the DP World Tour, which has delayed the levying of sanctions pending a full hearing.

Like McIlroy, two-time major winner Justin Thomas voiced his approval of the continued exclusion of those to have left the PGA Tour, suggesting that they were “trying to have their cake and eat it too” by taking the money on offer from the Saudi-backed series and still contesting the play-off series.

“You can have your cake, but you don’t need to eat it, too,” Thomas aid.

“And they got their fair share of a large, large amount of cake – go eat it on your own means. You don’t need to bring it on to our tour.”

Smith’s compatriot Marc Leishman is another rumoured to be joining the series, which has so far held three of the eight events in its inaugural season.