McIlroy says PGA Tour pre-LIV was 'actually pretty good' and worries about future of 2nd-tier events

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Now that LIV Golf is flailing and the sport has pulled itself out of what once felt like a day-to-day crisis cycle, Rory McIlroy sees the future — and the past — a little differently.“You start to realize that the way the tour was before LIV came along was actually pretty good,” McIlroy said Tuesday, as he prepared for the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.The six-time major champion, once seen as the frontline defender of the PGA Tour when it was fighting to rebuild itself in the wake of the LIV startup, is now waiting to see what the tour does next.He recognizes that LIV's injection of billions into the sport “created a false economy” that forced the tour to respond. Though it has made the rich richer with the creation of “signature" events with $20 million purses, McIlroy isn't so sure that — or whatever comes next — is better than what came before it.One potential casualty of the shift: events like last week’s Canadian Open — a tournament with a national title