Rory McIlroy’s win was a reminder of what golf can offer at its best

For those who have criticised Saudi Arabia’s lavish new LIV Golf series as a piece of brazen sportswashing, it was a happy coincidence that the inaugural tournament should land on the same weekend as one of the most compelling PGA Tour events in years.

At the PGA’s historic Canadian Open in Toronto, Rory McIlroy went toe to toe with two-time major winner Justin Thomas and the American big-hitter Tony Finau.

The crowd was raucous and the tension increasingly palpable as the trio succumbed to nerves in the final holes. They finished on an 18th green surrounded by thousands of giddy fans held back by a thin line of stewards as, under huge pressure, McIlroy produced an immaculate approach and birdie putt to clinch the title.

Over at LIV Golf’s London Invitational (some creative licence used there given it was in Hemel Hempstead), South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel tapped home the winning putt in front of a more modest crowd at Centurion Club.

He described it as “a historic moment”, and it was hard to know whether he meant the winning of a trivial trophy or the receipt of the largest paypacket in golf. Schwartzel’s prize of nearly $5m (£4.1m) was about the most noteworthy thing about the endeavour; LIV’s format of no cuts and “shotgun starts” was supposed to herald the future of golf, as the marketing campaign claimed, but it looked an awful lot like, just, golf.

McIlroy’s win was a reminder of what the game can offer at its best, when there’s a slice of history on the line and the world’s most talented players competing blow for blow.

He may “only” have won $1.5m but he earned the prestige of lifting an old trophy and notching his 21st PGA Tour title (only four 21st century golfers have won more). In contrast walking around Centurion this weekend, LIV’s event had the hollow feel of an exhibition, with fans intrigued to see famous faces like Phil Mickelson up close but hardly gripped by the sporting contest in front of them.

Saudi Arabia’s latest controversial foray into sport is gathering pace, with more PGA defectors to join like the game’s longest hitter Bryson Dechambeau. But on this weekend’s evidence, it will be a long road before LIV Golf resembles anything more than a sideshow.

Yours,

Lawrence Ostlere

Assistant sports editor