Rory McIlroy left many things unsaid in his press conference on Wednesday when he confirmed he will not rejoin the PGA Tour Policy Board, but his body language said plenty about his mindset.
McIlroy was set to make a surprise return to the tour's top table after quitting the policy board in November, with Webb Simpson making a plea for the Northern Irishman to take his place. The policy board, made up of six player directors and the tour's executives, is at the forefront of negotiations with LIV Golf backer the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), with merger talks dragging on.
But McIlroy revealed on Wednesday a "subset" of the player-directors were not keen for him to return and his attempt to rejoin was rejected. The four-time major champion did not name names, but according to Golf Digest, he was referring to Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth and long-time friend Tiger Woods, with their relationship souring due to clashing opinions over the future of the professional game.
McIlroy's decision to resign from the policy board last year doubtless played a role in players' reservations over his return. At the time, McIlroy said he wanted to prioritise his game and his personal life, with his time as the tour's de facto spokesman in the feud with LIV Golf taking its toll.
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McIlroy admitted things got "complicated and messy" when he tried to negotiate his return to the policy board, and added: “With the way it happened it opened up some wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before. And I think there was a subset of people on the board who were uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason.”
Body language expert Judi James told Mirror Sport the 35-year-old cut the figure of a man not telling the full story at his press conference on Wednesday. She said: "McIlroy’s apparent attempt to be tactful and to choose his words carefully here seems to have produced a raft of conflicting signals and signs of emotional suppression.
"His biggest gesture comes at the start when he says ‘It got messy’ and, for no apparent practical reason, he spends a long time rubbing his right eye with his finger, producing eight rubs in total.
"There could be several reasons for this gesture. Eye-rubbing is a common signal of sleepiness in children and he could be suggesting he’s tired of the subject or feigning a state of relaxation. It could also be an act of distraction, though, which is a trait animals use when they have their eye on a prey. They will often suddenly stop to lick or scratch themselves to make the prey think they have been saved and forgotten when in fact they are about to strike. Or it could be a partial eye cut-off, suggesting he is not keen to share his inner feelings too openly."
James says the smirk McIlroy briefly showed was telling. She explained: "When he refers to ‘old wounds’ and ‘scar tissue’ he uses eye contact with the interviewer, which prompts a wry smile that pulls up one side of his mouth and cheek, suggesting he is making an understatement. He then looks down and performs a mouth clamp to suggest regret, a mood that is added to when he smacks his lips together in a tutt.
"He appears to try to make light of things with one shoulder shrug and frown as he talks about the board although when he speaks about them possibly being ‘Uncomfortable with me coming back on’ he squints one eye in a ‘taking aim’ gesture.
"There is another wry smile as he speaks of ‘the best course of action’ but then he clamps his lips and they perform a squirm that suggests he’s suppressing emotions here. He falters as he goes to say ‘I’m happy’ and there is a long eye cut-off, again to hide or shield his inner feelings."
McIlroy will hope to put the off-course drama aside when he tees it up at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow on Thursday. The North Carolina track is where McIlroy clinched his first PGA Tour victory in 2010 and he is coming off a victory alongside Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans a fortnight ago. A strong performance, McIlroy hopes, will continue his momentum ahead of the PGA Championship at Valhalla next week, the site of McIlroy's last major championship triumph a decade ago.
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