McIlroy eases off criticism of LIV Golf. He's says Rahm defection was a smart business move
Rory McIlroy is softening his stance against Saudi-funded LIV Golf
KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Rory McIlroy has gone from being the harshest critic of LIV Golf to extending an olive branch. He said on a British football podcast Wednesday he was too judgmental about players defecting and has accepted that LIV is “part of our sport now.”
He referred to Jon Rahm's decision to join LIV Golf last month as a “smart business move.”
McIlroy also suggested he helped instigate discussions with the PGA Tour and the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. He said he met with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Public Investment Fund, at the end of 2022 in Dubai.
“When I got back to America, I was on the board of the PGA Tour and I said to the guys, ‘Someone has got to go talk to this guy.’ Then there was a plan put in place that one of the board members would try to develop a relationship with him,” McIlroy said.
