It was a banner weekend for Rory McIlroy, who rallied from a six-shot deficit on Sunday to win the Tour Championship and become the first three-time winner of the FedEx Cup. But even in victory, the PGA Tour loyalist couldn’t help but take some jabs at rival LIV Golf.
“Two of the best players in the world going head-to-head on the best tour,” he said, discussing his Sunday showdown with Masters champion Scottie Scheffler.
McIlroy has been a strong PGA Tour supporter ever since the Saudi-backed LIV Golf arrived on the scene. He’s referred to the rival league as a “sideshow,” talked about it would make him “super happy” if it went away, and said that players who left have “made their bed” and have to lie in it.
Meanwhile, he’s also partnered with Tiger Woods on a tech-based golf league that will partner with the PGA Tour and creates some of the same opportunities that LIV Golf has presented.
On Sunday, he reiterated his loyalty to the PGA Tour and his sentiments that it’s the better golf tour.
“Everyone on tour has had to deal with a lot,” McIlroy said. “Even the guys that have went to LIV have had to deal with a lot. It’s just been a very tumultuous sort of era in our game. This is the best place in the world to play golf. It’s the most competitive. It’s got the best players. It’s got the deepest fields. I don’t know why you’d want to play anywhere else.”
As for whether or not there’s common ground ahead for the two golf tours, McIlroy just doesn’t see it right now, saying that LIV has ripped apart the sport.
“What it’s done to the world of men’s professional golf is ripped it apart, which is unfortunate,” four-time major winner Rory McIlroy told CNN Sport’s Patrick Snell. “I think there are ways to mend that and bring it back together. But with everything else that’s going on right now, I don’t see that happening anytime in the future.”
It doesn’t sound like the bad blood between the two sides will be going away anytime soon.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.