Rory McIlroy, an outspoken critic of Saudi-backed LIV Golf, isn’t changing his tune now that the league is set to merge with the PGA Tour.
“I still hate LIV,” McIlroy told reporters ahead of the RBC Canadian Open at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Ontario this week.
“Like, I hate LIV. I hope it goes away, and I would fully expect that it does. I think that’s where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF — very different from LIV.”
PIF is the acronym for the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia that will reportedly share control of the merged world golf entity.
“So, look. Going forward, I hope that there’s, you know, there may be a team elements and you’re gonna see maybe … whoever else play in some sort of team golf, but I don’t think it’ll look anything like LIV has looked, and I think that’s a good thing,” McIlroy added.
The LIV Tour has sought to distinguish itself from the PGA in a variety of ways, from playing music on the course to forming teams of golfers and playing shorter tournaments. It’s motto is “golf, but louder.”
The PGA tour announced the merger Tuesday. If the deal goes through, players like McIlroy, who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour, would once again start competing with players who left the tour for huge LIV paychecks.
Bryson DeChambeau, one of the early golfers to sign with LIV, praised the merger during an interview with CNN on Tuesday night.
“I think this is the best thing that could ever happen for the game of golf, and I am extremely proud to be part of that,” he said.
“It does stink a little bit from my perspective that the PGA tour players are not necessarily winning. I hope they can find a way to make sure they are valued the same way we are over at LIV,” he added.
CNN anchor Kaitlin Collins also asked DeChambeau about the role of Saudi Arabia’s leaders in human rights abuses and the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“What I can say is they are trying to do good for the world and showcase themselves in a light that hasn’t been seen in a while,” he said. “And nobody’s perfect, but we’re all trying to improve in life.”
The merger would also end ongoing antitrust litigation between the two golfing leagues. The PGA Tour, founded in 1929, previously suspended a list of prominent golfers such as Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and DeChambeau for their decision to jump ship.
9/11 Families United, a group that represents the families of 9/11 victims, called out the PGA for the merger, saying in a statement that they were “shocked and deeply offended” by the news.
“Saudi operatives played a role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and now it is bankrolling all of professional golf,” 9/11 Families United chairwoman Terry Strada said in a statement.