Rory McIlroy: Why I changed my mind on Netflix documentary
We’re sure you’re all as excited as we are about season one of Full Swing, the new documentary about the 2022 PGA Tour season. And that only increased when Netflix dropped its first teaser and it turned out Rory McIlroy was involved in the project – a fact that had previously been kept under wraps.
The World No 1 was initially hesitant to become involved in series, before jumping aboard with some of the circuit’s best players, including Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Ian Poulter and Tony Finau.
McIlroy, who has become the main mouthpiece of the PGA Tour since the emergence of LIV Golf, was asked ahead of the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale about why he decided to get involved in the show.
“I sort of took the attitude of see how the first season works out, see if I like it, like the idea, feel comfortable letting cameras get into my life a little bit more,” McIlroy explained. “But I had a good chat with Chad (Mumm, Full Swing executive producer) in the summertime.
“Obviously with everything that’s going on in the world of golf, he just said having my voice in there in some way could just add a layer of context that wasn’t there already.
“I made sure that the parameters were very much like, look, you can film me – you’re not coming to my house, you’re not coming in my car, you’re not coming anywhere near my family, but you want to do some stuff with me at golf tournaments, totally fine.
“They were the ground rules that were set, and here we are.”
In the trailers that were released last month, they showed the likes of Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka allowing the cameras into their family homes and speaking to family members.
Ahead of last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which was won by Justin Rose, Mumm promised that we’re going “to see golf in a way that no one’s ever seen before” in this Drive to Survive-style series.
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick are just two of the other big names involved, while the likes of Johnson, Koepka and Poulter play key roles in explaining the formation of LIV and golf’s so-called civil war.
All eight episodes of Full Swing will be streamed on Netflix from February 15.
Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spoken to the likes of Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, Henrik Stenson, to name just a few.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
