McIlroy, 35, played his first match with his Boston Common Golf team on Monday, losing to fellow TGL co-founder Tiger Woods in overtime. He then traveled from Florida to California to make his first start of the 2025 PGA Tour season.

The four-time major champion has a lot of thoughts on the state of pro golf but said “we shouldn’t try to dumb down golf to appeal to more people.”

McIlroy makes his season debut on the U.S.-based circuit this week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, one of the tour’s $20 million signature events. It’s a big week—or at least it’s supposed to be, with a limited field of 80 players that includes 45 of the top 50 in the world playing one of the most iconic courses on the planet.