From the very beginning of the PGA Tour versus LIV Golf feud, it has been clear which side of the fight professional golfer Rory McIlroy has been on.
McIlroy, whether he meant to or not, has acted as the PGA Tour’s poster child ever since the alternative tour was brought to life. There has not been anyone out there that has been more outspoken against the LIV Tour than Rory McIlroy.
Here’s a video that was posted just six months ago of the Irishman talking about how much he hates LIV:
However, in the latest media interview from Rory McIlroy, he’s had a huge swing (golf pun not intended) in how he feels about LIV Golf.
On a show called “The Overlap,” McIlroy admitted that he was a little too judgmental of the players that left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, and Rory actually gave credit to LIV for exposing some of the flaws in the PGA’s system (mainly not guaranteeing that all of their stars will play full four-four day tournaments because they have a cut after the first two rounds).
He also spoke about his good friend Jon Rahm’s recent decision to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, and how he ultimately understood why he chose to do so:
“Jon Rahm has not gotten any of the heat that the first guys got for going. So it’s made it easier for guys to jump. I thought it was a smart business move from Jon. It’s opportunistic. I think he sees that things will come back together and he’s in a lucky position.
There’s not one person that wouldn’t want him on our Ryder Cup team because of how good he is, so he was in a great position where there wasn’t a ton of risk involved for him to go.
I’ve got no problem with him going if that’s what he wants to do and he thinks that’s the right decision for him and his family. Who am I to say any different at this point?”
McIlroy went on to also admit that he realizes not every PGA player has the cash flow coming in that he or Tiger Woods has, and now that he’s accepted that LIV Golf is part of the sport, he understands why some guys on the back halves of their career, or guys struggling to compete on the PGA Tour, would take guaranteed deals for guaranteed money.
Rory gets into his stance on LIV Golf around the 7 minute mark of the video below, and the pro golfer gets into the specifics about his fellow competitor Jon Rahm at the 14 minute mark:
