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WHY RORY MCILROY BELIEVES THE NEWCASTLE UNITED MODEL COULD SAVE PRO GOLF

McIlroy slams LIV Golf’s billion-dollar failure. Discover why the Saudi-backed league is switching to 72 holes to save its ranking.

Why Rory McIlroy believes the Newcastle United model could save pro golf
McIlroy predicts the end of LIV unless they copy Newcastle

The battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has split the world of professional golf right down the middle.

Rory McIlroy’s been in the thick of it since day one. He’s the guy who took the PGA Tour’s side, never shying away from calling out LIV Golf and the players who jumped ship for big Saudi money.

LIV tried to shake up golf for good. They threw huge contracts at star players and pitched a faster, flashier version of the sport to win over young fans. But honestly, after 2025, the PGA Tour’s clearly coming out on top.

Last year, not a single LIV player won a major. Just three even made the Ryder Cup. Over the offseason, LIV couldn’t land any headline signings. Meanwhile, the PGA Tour keeps getting stronger, and LIV’s burned through over a billion dollars with little to show for it.

Now, McIlroy’s wondering if Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund—the same group that owns Newcastle United—could take a page from the football club’s playbook to rescue LIV Golf.

So, what’s the lesson? According to McIlroy, one of LIV’s biggest problems is just throwing money around without a plan. He thinks they should’ve followed a more sensible, patient approach, kind of like what they did with Newcastle.

On the Stick to Football podcast, McIlroy put it this way: “They’ve spent billions on LIV, the PIF, and the Saudis, and then I look at what they’ve done with Newcastle, for example. In football, you can’t just go out and spend five billion because of financial regulations. In golf, though, they could—and they did.”

He went on, “They’ve done a great job with Newcastle, moving the club up from where they were. If they’d used the same strategy in golf, we wouldn’t be in this mess. But here we are. The upside is that it’s made the majors and Ryder Cup feel even bigger, since those are the few times all the best players come together. But if golf wants to stay relevant, we need those top players facing off a lot more often.”

And he’s got a point. LIV Golf basically tossed out its original plan this offseason. They named the league after their 54-hole, three-day events, but now they’ve switched to the classic 72-hole format. Why? To try and grab Official World Golf Ranking points.

LIV’s spending spree has backed them into a corner. They need results—fast—or the whole thing could collapse.

They spent a fortune and still trail way behind the PGA Tour. Now, they’re scrambling, ditching their own rules just to survive. If they’d listened to McIlroy and taken the slow, steady route, they could have built something real—attracting big players naturally over the years, earning respect, and maybe even those precious ranking points.

Instead, they tried to shortcut their way to the top and now find themselves stuck. They’ve spent so much, they can’t just turn back. If they keep throwing money at the problem, they might sink the whole project for good.

REVIEW: WHY MATT LAFLEUR IS COUNTING ON VETERANS TO SAVE THE SEASON

Matt LaFleur rested starters in a 16-3 loss to the Vikings. We analyse the Packers' slump and life without Micah Parsons.

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Matt LaFleur Defends Decision to Rest Starters

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur stood on the sideline, watching as his team slogged through a rough second quarter against the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. It was January 4, 2026, and honestly, this game didn’t mean much for Green Bay. They’d already locked up their playoff spot, so LaFleur kept Jordan Love and several other starters on the bench. Instead, Clayton Tune got the nod at quarterback—a guy who’d been hanging out on the practice squad most of the year and only took a few snaps in Week 17.

Tune threw just 11 passes all game, completing six for 34 yards. Not exactly electric. The Vikings sacked him four times, so the Packers actually finished with negative passing yards. Yeah, minus 7. That pretty much sums up the afternoon.

The final score was 16-3, and the only reason Green Bay even got on the board was a late field goal they set up with a timeout. The run game looked a little better—they managed 128 yards on 35 carries, and that was without Josh Jacobs, who sat out too. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs didn’t play either, whether because of injuries or just getting some rest. So, the Packers were missing a lot of firepower.

Here’s the bigger problem: for the second year in a row, the Packers are stumbling into the playoffs on a losing streak. Just a few weeks ago, after beating the Bears in Week 14, they were leading the NFC North and looking sharp. But then things unravelled—four straight losses, injuries piling up, and the worst of it was losing Micah Parsons to a torn ACL. He’s done till next season.

LaFleur isn’t pretending it’s all fine. He says the team has taken their lumps, but now it’s time to move on. “We’re in the dance,” he told reporters. “We’ve got to go on the road and play our best football from here.”

Nobody knows exactly who they’ll face in the first round, but LaFleur is counting on his veterans to remember what playoff football feels like. He wants them to step up when it matters most.

“You stick with what you believe in,” he said. “But everyone’s got to understand—the playoffs are different. There’s no next week if you lose. We need to play our best.”

Green Bay’s hoping that resting its stars will pay off. Whether it does, well, we’ll see soon enough.

“ LaFleur said, “Everything’s pretty fluid as we prep this week. It depends on when we actually play. But I thought practice went well—the guys who rested still got solid reps, first team offence versus first team defence. Physically, we’re in a good place.”

HOW MYLES GARRETT SURPASSED STRAHAN AND WATT FOR THE SACK RECORD

Myles Garrett makes history with his 23rd sack as Andre Szmyt’s 49-yard field goal lifts the Browns over the Bengals 20-18.

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Myles Garrett is Now the Undisputed Greatest Defender in the NFL

Myles Garrett waited until the last possible moment to break the NFL sack record, but it was Cleveland’s kicker who stole the show at the end. As the clock hit zero, Andre Szmyt nailed a 49-yard field goal to give the Browns a 20-18 win over the Bengals—a little redemption for Szmyt, who missed a short field goal and an extra point against Cincinnati way back in the season opener. This time, he delivered. On the other side, Bengals kicker Evan McPherson missed two extra points, which ended up costing his team the game.

Garrett’s big moment came with just over five minutes left. He burst up the middle, and Joe Burrow just slid to the ground—sack number 23 for Garrett. That put him past Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt for the single-season record. The Browns' bench cleared to celebrate with him, and the game paused while everyone soaked it in.

Cincinnati wasn’t done, though. Down 17-12 late, Burrow led the Bengals on a 61-yard drive and hit Ja’Marr Chase for a 4-yard touchdown, giving Cincinnati an 18-17 lead with 90 seconds left. Chase was his usual self—eight catches, 96 yards, and a score.

For Cleveland, rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders didn’t light up the stat sheet—just 111 yards on 11-of-22 passing—but he picked up his third win as a starter. The Browns closed out the season with back-to-back victories over AFC North rivals, even though their offense sputtered most of the day and they lost center Luke Wypler to a knee injury.

Burrow finished with 236 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception on 29-of-39 passing. Running back Chase Brown crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time and grabbed a touchdown as well, wrapping up a strong season with 72 yards on 13 carries.

Early on, it looked like Cincinnati would cruise. Burrow hit a wide-open Brown for a 4-yard touchdown after Cam Sample strip-sacked Sanders and Howard Cross recovered at the Cleveland 29. But the extra point got blocked, and that missed point loomed large later.

Cleveland’s defense made some noise, too. Devin Bush picked off Burrow and ran it back 97 yards for a score in the first quarter. Just a minute later, Sam Webb scooped up a fumble and sprinted 47 yards to the end zone. That gave the Browns a 14-6 lead.

Tee Higgins caught a 13-yard touchdown from Burrow just before halftime, and again, McPherson missed the extra point. It was that kind of day for Cincinnati.

The Browns lost their top corner, Denzel Ward, to a neck injury early on. He didn’t return.

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