Rory McIlory doesn't seem too familiar with the likes of Fat Perez, Gabby Golf Girl and Grant Horvat. He also doesn't seem to care to watch any of their videos. Somehow this has been interpreted as a scandal among fans of the YouTubers when it should be little more than a blip on the radar this week. It also entirely misses the point.

If context is king, Rory McIlroy’s press conference early Wednesday at The Players Championship certainly needs its share of qualifiers. On the eve of the circuit’s flagship event, the Northern Irishman was asked about a potential career on the PGA Tour Champions and the headlines were immediately predictable: “McIlroy on senior tour: Absolutely not.

Credit Rory McIlroy, then, for spinning the conversation forward. McIlroy has taken plenty of shots at LIV Golf over the last three years, some of which he's had to walk back. But one element of LIV's strategy has struck a chord with McIlroy: the breakaway league's international focus.