Rory McIlroy aims brutal dig at former Ryder Cup captain after LIV Golf demand
Rory McIlroy has reignited his feud with LIV Golf, claiming the sacking of former Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson was the "best thing to happen" to the European team.
McIlroy played an integral role in Europe's 16.5-11.5 victory over their American rivals, as captain Luke Donald regained the Ryder Cup. Donald was a second option for European bosses, after he was brought into replace Stenson who was then sacked for joining LIV Golf.
The change in captain proved to be a succesful one though, as Donald led his continent to an eighth successive Ryder Cup victory on home soil. His heroics were rewarded by the DP World Tour, after the former world No. 1 was reappointed as skipper late last month to defend the title at Bethpage Black in 2025. One man who may not be in the U.S. though is Jon Rahm, after the Spaniard opted to join LIV Golf earlier this week, putting his Ryder Cup future at risk.
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LIV critic McIlroy took a softer approach to Rahm's switch, calling on a change in qualification rules to ensure the Masters champion can compete in two years. On X (formerly Twitter ) golf coach Lou Stagner questioned whether McIlroy would like to see dumped captain Stenson return to the fold amid his support behind Rahm.
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The Northern Irishman however took a more brutal approach in regard to the Swede, tweeting: "The best thing to happen to the 2023 Euro Ryder cup team was Henrik going to LIV!" The tweet appeared to reinstate McIlroy's stance towards the LIV setup, having previously revealed his 'hate' for the breakaway league.
His opinions on Rahm however shows he is willing to accept the Saudi-backed series' existence with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour if it means he can team up with the Spaniard in European colours. Discussing his teammate's Saudi switch with Sky Sports, he said: "As someone that plays on the PGA Tour it is disappointing.
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"As someone who has played on three Ryder Cup teams with Jon... Jon is going to be in Bethpage in 2025. So because of this decision the European Tour are going to have to rewrite the rules for Ryder Cup eligibility, absolutely, there is no question about that. I certainly want Jon Rahm on the next Ryder Cup team."
It remains to be seen whether Rahm will be able to compete at Bethpage, but despite his love for the Ryder Cup, the 29-year-old did admit there were aspects of the LIV setup that were worth risking his future with Team Europe for. "What they had to offer was worth the risk of maybe not playing a Ryder Cup," he said.
"The innovation. The difference. Being part of a team. Being an owner and a captain—when I grew up playing golf it wasn’t an opportunity. But it is now, and it’s really enticing to me. I’ve seen people grow and I’m looking forward to hoping making an impact”
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