Rory McIlroy has been an outspoken critic of LIV Golf over the past few years and with that in mind, it’s interesting to look back at what he said about the Saudi-backed league before it had even been formed.
Interestingly, back in February 2022, Bryson DeChambeau actually pledged his allegiance to the PGA Tour, before joining LIV Golf just four months later, just like many other big names, including Dustin Johnson.
At the time, McIlroy was extremely dismissive of LIV Golf’s alleged plans.
Since then, the Saudi-backed outfit has actually managed to poach numerous top tier players, including the aforementioned DeChambeau and Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton and of course, Jon Rahm.
And throughout the past few years, a war of words between PGA Tour and LIV stars McIlroy and Mickelson has ensued.
However, in recent times, McIlroy has actually suggested that bringing LIV and the PGA Tour together would be beneficial for the game of golf, with his stance on the issue seemingly beginning to soften.
In the early days, though, before LIV’s official inception, McIlroy took a dim view of the prospective golf league.
What Rory McIlroy said about LIV Golf in 2022 before it was even formed
It seemed like McIlroy took it upon himself to be the spokesman for the PGA Tour when rumours of a potential new golf tour began to spread three-and-a-half years ago.
The Northern Irishman spoke to reporters in 2022, and he was asked to give his opinion on the rumours that LIV Golf was about to be formed.
“Who’s left? Who’s left to go? I mean, there’s no one,” he said.
“Who else have you got to fill the field? I mean, Greg Norman would have to tee it up to fill the field. Like, I mean seriously, who else is going to do it? I don’t think they could get 48 guys.”
McIlroy has obviously been proven completely wrong with those remarks, with DeChambeau and many, many more world-class players now fully-fledged LIV golfers.
However, there was one point when it seemed like DeChambeau wouldn’t be going anywhere.
When Bryson DeChambeau pledged allegiance to the PGA Tour
Back in February 2022, when chatter about the formation of a new golf league began to gain traction, all eyes turned to the PGA Tour’s top stars.
Would they stay, or would they jump ship?
Interestingly, DeChambeau gave the PGA Tour his full support.
He said: “While there has been a lot of speculation surrounding my support for another Tour, I want to make it very clear that as long as the best players in the world are playing the PGA Tour, so am I.“
Things obviously changed very quickly in DeChambeau’s world. While LIV do indeed have some of the best players in their setup, the PGA Tour is still widely considered to be the strongest tour in the world.
Just two four months after McIlroy and DeChambeau spoke, the Northern Irishman stood firm while numerous others jumped ship to LIV, the now two-time US Open champion included.
And the landscape of professional golf has never been the same since.
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