Rory McIlroy has explained why he lost friendships with fellow golfers who joined the controversial breakaway tour LIV Golf.
LIV was founded in 2021 and played its first season a year later, but is now facing a dubious future after filing for bankruptcy last month.
The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) will not fund the tour beyond the 2026 season, saying the required substantial investment is ‘no longer consistent’ with the current phase of their strategy.
Over $45million (£40m) are owed to players, as per the BBC, with Jon Rahm top of the unsecured creditors list with a $7.5m (£5.7m) claim.
LIV was created to rival the PGA Tour and reportedly close to landing McIlroy with an $850m (£641m) offer, though he shut this down.
The six-time major winner has been vocal against the breakaway tour and now revealed that it got in the way of friendships.
McIlroy on losing touch with friends because of LIV
When asked if he lost friends over LIV, he told the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, he said: “Yes, certainly people that I played with on European Ryder Cup teams that I am not as close with anymore.
“We had a difference of opinion on the future of golf but I don’t think that’s something to lose friends over.
“But, we also just didn’t see each other anymore. They didn’t play the same tournaments, they weren’t eligible for the Ryder Cup, they weren’t qualifying for the major championships.
“So, when you don’t live in the same places as these people, you lose touch.”
Speaking on the downfall of LIV in general, McIlroy added: “LIV had probably half of a good idea that was executed pretty poorly.
“They had a lot of capital but I think a lot of that capital was wasted in some ways, and I think they could have used that money a lot more strategically, and they could have partnered with some of the governing bodies of the game.
“They certainly could have done better things with it instead of just enriching tour pros that were already making a lot of money.”
McIlroy sided with Tiger Woods
Golf legend Tiger Woods was also in opposition of LIV, saying: “To play there, I disagree with it. I think that what they’ve done is they’ve turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.”
“Tiger and I at the very start, back in 2022 when this thing kicked off, we were certainly the two that were maybe the most vocal against it,” McIlroy said.
“But we were probably the two that had the most to lose as well, in terms of our stature within the PGA Tour.
“I think we both felt this wasn’t good for the game and this was going to fracture the game, but also everyone around the game has interest.
“We were about to launch TGL (TMRW Golf League), and we thought LIV could have taken something away from TGL, which it did because some players went to LIV.
“You had to be a PGA Tour member to play in TGL, so everyone has different interests in the game.
“You’re trying to protect your interests, but you’re also trying to protect the interests of the game as a whole.”