Could Rory McIlroy have stopped his friend from moving to this golf tour? Previously, McIlroy has always made his opinions about it very clear. The Irishman has been one of the leading names to criticize Greg Norman and his efforts in the past 3 years. Despite attracting a lot of attention from the PIF-backed league, McIlroy has never shown interest in jumping ship. There have been rumors of the 35-year-old getting lucrative offers worth nearly $1 billion from Norman. But that was not enough to convince Rory McIlroy to break his loyalty towards the PGA Tour.

via Imago

But it seems that one of the promising talents he has known since 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood has reportedly inclined towards LIV Golf. So, how did Rory McIlroy react to this? Let’s find out!

Rory McIlroy gives his two cents

There have been quite a few reports in the last few days stating that Tom McKibbin might move to Saudi Arabia for $5 million plus a further annual guarantee. And having known McKibbin for nearly 12 years, McIlroy seems disappointed as he has previously stated, “I don’t think it’s worth the sacrifice.” There is still no official confirmation regarding Tom McKibbin’s switch yet. And hence, Rory McIlroy had a lot to say when he was questioned about it.

Giving a background about the relationship between the two, the sports news outlet Flushing It discussed the relationship between McIlroy and McKibbin. They further added Rory McIlroy‘s comments from the 2025 Hero Dubai Desert Classic venue. He said, “As soon as he got the offer, he rang me. I just landed in New Zealand. We had a really good conversation,” suggesting that McKibbin asked for guidance from McIlroy. The Irish golfer also stated how he had already had a conversation with the 22-year-old about his future plans. “I think he’s got a ton of potential,” said McIlroy about what he sees in McKibbin.

The 4x major winner shared a bit from his conversation with Tom McKibbin. It went like, “If I were in your shoes, I would make a different choice than the one you’re thinking of making. I think working so hard to get your Tour card in the States was a big achievement,” commending McKibbin for his efforts. McIlroy told McKibbin that he may be giving up a spot in the majors and the Ryder Cup team if he doesn’t perform well in Europe. That’s when he stated, “I don’t think anything is official yet,” hinting that he would have known had McKibbin already taken that decision.

There is no doubt that McIlroy has a lot of belief in McKibbin’s s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s. But he may have also been a catalyst in driving his friend away to LIV Golf. Let’s see how Rory McIlroy could have better convinced Tom McKibbin to stay on the PGA Tour.

Opening the door to TGL

Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy’s TGL has been a major hit among fans. However, there have still been a few hits and misses when it comes to some aspects of the league. TGL has been driven through various controversies, from having seat fillers to turning it into a game show. One of the issues that caught a lot of attention recently is the inclusion of less talented golfers. The Jupiter Links GC vs. Los Angeles GC round saw a lot of exciting action. However, the highlight of the match was Kevin Kisner’s ridiculous bunker shot that made the crowd erupt in laughter. All jokes aside, the pro golfer received a lot of criticism with many saying that he “almost 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed someone”.

In the end, Jupiter Links GC lost by a huge deficit. Perhaps McIlroy could have convinced an exciting young talent like Tom McKibbin to fill the spot instead of the 40-year-old Kisner in the inaugural season of TGL. That would have given McKibbin a lot of confidence and great exposure to playing with some of the biggest names in golf. Moreover, the young golfer would have been happier to see progress in the PGA Tour-associated leagues. This would have given him the confidence to reject advances from LIV Golf and Legion XIII captained by Jon Rahm.