It's safe to say that neither Rory McIlroy nor LIV Golf is pleased that the merger between the PGA Tour and the rival association will bring the two parties together. McIlroy, in a recent interview before the RBC Canadian Open on Wednesday, reluctantly admitted that the merger will be good for golf but said that he still hates- strong emphasis on the word hate- LIV Golf.
Well, the feeling is mutual. As LIV Golf discusses the logistics of the merger with the PGA Tour, expansion of the team-based format to 14 squads is reportedly under consideration, which would allow LIV to “make whole” Tour players who had previously waved away the gargantuan paychecks.
LIV Golf hates McIlroy back
Will Rory McIlroy be one of those players? Don't count on it. In a recent interview, an LIV Golf executive said that all PGA Tour players except Rory would get an offer , because “nobody wants that little b***h on their team”, per Alan Shupnick of The Fire Pit Collective.
“Now we can finally get Hideki [Matsuyama] and Jon Rahm. I would say every big name on the PGA Tour will get an offer. Except Rory. Nobody wants that little b***h on their team.”
Clearly, LIV Golf is not going to welcome McIlroy with open arms. After all, the PGA Tour star has been one of their staunchest critics.
Rory McIlroy's criticism of LIV Golf
Last June, Rory McIlroy said that, while he would never join LIV Golf, he could “understand” why some of his PGA Tour peers were making the move.
Later that month, he said he doubted it would “strain any relationships” with LIV Golf players.
Then, McIlroy admitted that it would be “hard for him to stomach” seeing the former Tour players at the Championship last August.
Given his status as the PGA Tour's personal bodyguard, it's no wonder that McIlroy is feeling like a “sacrificial lamb” after the merger, especially given that the PGA Tour blindsided him.
No one should expect this to be an easy transition for Rory McIlroy or LIV.
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