Rory McIlroy continues to speak out against the LIV Golf International Series.
In an interview with CBS Sports’ Kyle Porter, McIlroy said there is “no room in the golf world for LIV Golf” and he does not agree with what the new circuit is doing.
“If LIV went away tomorrow I’d be super happy,” the four-time major champion added.
McIlroy has been one of the most outspoken critics of the new tour and the former PGA Tour players who jumped ship to join LIV.
“I’m surprised at a lot of these guys because they say one thing and do another. I don’t understand that,” McIlroy said during a June 22 press conference. “I don’t know if that’s for legal reasons, I have no idea. It’s pretty duplicitous on their part to say one thing and then do another thing.”
LIV Golf has received criticism since it was founded last year. The circuit’s funding comes from Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund. The country’s government has been accused of sportswashing, spending over a billion dollars in an attempt to improve its reputation around the world amid a long history of human rights violations.
A declassified United States Intelligence report released in February 2021 found that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation to capture or kill Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi.
Khashoggi was killed in October 2018 after entering a Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul.
Despite the controversy around the new golf circuit, several players have resigned from the PGA Tour in order to join LIV.
Every PGA Tour member who is playing for LIV has been suspended from participating in PGA events by Commissioner Jay Monahan.
McIlroy does not sound like he is going to join the group of PGA Tour stars playing in LIV. He won the RBC Canadian Open and finished fifth at the U.S. Open last month.