Rory McIlroy speaks out amid 'anger' over LIV Golf merger

Golf superstar Rory McIlroy says he feels betrayed by the PGA Tour after the proposed merger with the LIV Golf Series. McIlroy was one of several high-profile stars, alongside Tiger Woods, to staunchly oppose the introduction of the series, which has been bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's lucrative Public Investment Fund.

In his first comments since it was revealed PGA boss Jay Monahan was in talks regarding a LIV merger, McIlroy said he had been a 'sacrificial lamb' after taking a stance against the massive money coming from Saudi Arabia. he has maintained throughout that the LIV series, and players who accepted deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars, were 'legitimising' a nation credibly accused of serious violations of human rights.

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The 34-year-old became the PGA's de facto spokesman as the saga descended into competing lawsuits, which are yet to be resolved. He raised eyebrows when he labelled players who accepted the lucrative guaranteed deals from LIV as 'duplicitous' - stars including Brooks Koepka and Australia's Cameron Smith.

Monahan will become the CEO of the planned new entity, while the head of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, will become the chairman. The proposed merger will see the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and the LIV series become one entity.

McIlroy said he was as surprised to learn of the new developments as the rest of the golf world, only learning of the details when they were made public. He said questions still need to be asked about whether LIV players would be allowed in, considering they had launched legal action against the PGA and 'irreparably harmed' it.

“I learned about it at pretty much the same time that everyone else did,” McIlroy said. “And yeah, it was a surprise.

"I knew there had been discussions going on in the background, I knew that lines of communication had been opened up. I obviously didn’t expect it to happen as quickly as it did.

“I’ve dealt with Jay (Monahan) a lot closer than a lot of those guys have and from where we were a couple of weeks ago to where we are today, I think the future of the PGA Tour looks brighter as a whole. What that looks like for individual players in keeping a Tour card, bringing players back into the fold, that’s where the anger comes from.

"I understand that and there still has to be consequences to actions. The people that left the PGA Tour irreparably harmed this Tour, started litigation against it.

“We can’t just welcome them back in. That’s not going to happen. That’s what Jay was trying to get across yesterday.”

Nevertheless, McIlroy is says it will ultimately be a good thing for the sport if the major competitions are no longer at war with one another - however much remains to be seen before that becomes a reality. He maintained his disdain for the LIV series when asked.

“Removing myself from the situation, I see how this is better for the game of golf, there’s no denying it,” he said. “For me as an individual, there’s just going to have to be conversations that are had.

“I still hate LIV. Like, I hate LIV. I hope it goes away, and I fully expect that it does.”

PGA Tour commissioner announces stunning LIV Golf merger

On Wednesday, after nearly two years of bitter words and falling outs, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced the two golf tours would end the biggest rivalry the sport has faced. "After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love," Monahan said, who was previously a huge critic of LIV.

"How did we go from a confrontation to now being partners? We just realised we were better off together than we were fighting or apart."

McIlroy stood up for the PGA Tour and entered into countless war-of-words against LIV Golf leader Greg Norman. Woods joined him and the bitter feud took a turn with stars such as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Australia's Cameron Smith all leaving for around $150 million.

Woods then made a huge statement and claimed their would be no compromise with LIV Golf going forward if Norman was involved. Norman then labelled Woods as the 'mouthpiece' of the PGA. However, in a stunning twist, neither Woods or Norman were involved in the deal struck by the two golf bodies.

Monahan's concession to merge the tours is a huge win for LIV Golf and the players that joined the breakaway group. Norman admitted earlier this year that he could see the merger happening and it was only a matter of time. And he was right.

"When all this dust settles, the game of golf is going to be better. You can have both and I am looking forward to having both," he told Golf.com. Admittedly a number of players have reportedly claimed they feel betrayed after sticking with the PGA Tour, only for the bosses to turn around and join with LIV Golf.

And the Australian tweeted his enjoyment of the announcement. "A great day in global golf for players and fans alike. The journey continues," he wrote.

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