Rory McIlroy Says He Would Retire ‘If LIV Golf Was the Last Place to Play Golf on Earth’

Rory McIlroy’s distaste for LIV Golf has continued in new comments made by the Northern Irishman today, as he stated in an interview that he would no longer play if the Saudi-backed league was the only place to play professional golf.

McIlroy said:

“If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on Earth, I would retire. That’s how I feel about it.”

🚨✌️🌍 PGA OR NOTHING — Rory McIlroy shared post round remarks about LIV Golf & the ongoing PGA-PIF negotiations: “If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on earth, I would retire,’’ McIlroy said. “That’s how I feel about it.’’ He noted that he’d still play the 4 majors and… pic.twitter.com/sxRtdSnize

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 13, 2023

 

McIlroy has been one of the most vocal proponents against LIV since its introduction several years ago. Fighting to keep the morality of golf at the forefront, McIlroy has been doing his best to keep questions about LIV away from his press conferences, but they still seem to sneak in from time to time.

There is no doubt that his comments about LIV have reigned more true than ever as the PGA Tour and LIV agreed to a merger earlier this Summer.

With news of potential LIV Teams headed by McIlroy and Woods making their way through the rumor mill, there is no doubt that, if that were to be proposed, Rory would likely see his way out. As he said several weeks ago, “I hate LIV.” That point of view will likely never change, although McIlroy has said that he has remained close friends with many of its defectors, including Brooks Koepka.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Even if McIlroy retired from professional golf, there is one thing he would still do, he said, and that’s play the four majors.

Other golfers, like Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele, have been vocal, too. Not necessarily regarding the introduction of a LIV-PGA Tour merger, but instead of the lack of transparency that was communicated by Jay Monahan. Xander said yesterday the trust he had in the PGA Tour’s Commissioner had diminished significantly, while Spieth highlighted similar feelings.

Meanwhile, McIlroy said that his trust issues are “maybe not as serious” because “I sort of knew what was going on.”

He said:

“I wasn’t quite as in the dark as some of the other guys, but yeah, people felt blindsided by it, and I can obviously understand why Jordan and Xander and a lot of other guys would feel that way.”

Cover Image Via Sky Sports