06 March 2024 , 08:00
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Rory McIlroy showed his class at last year's PGA Championship, after chasing LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka through a car park to congratulate him on his fifth major victory.
McIlroy and Koepka have themselves on opposite sides of golf's civil war between the PGA Tour and LIV. The former unanimously pledged his loyalties to the Tour, whilst the latter became one of the biggest names to make the Saudi switch in 2022.
On a number of occasions, McIlroy had been hyper-critical of the rival, Saudi-funded league, and those who made the decision to join, previously claiming he would rather 'retire' than join the LIV setup.
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Whilst competing at last year's PGA Championship at Oak Hill though, the Northern Irishman showed there was no bad blood between himself and LIV member, Koepka, who had been crowned champion that week. Episode one of the second season of Netflix's Full Swing docu-series captured the behind-the-scenes moment McIlroy offered his congratulations to his rival, Koepka.
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"Brooks! Brooks!" McIlroy is heard shouting as he runs towards Koepka in the car park. Catching his attention, the pair then embrace before the European adds: "I am really happy for you." The duo are then seeing going their separate ways before Koepka tells McIlroy: "I'll give you a shout man!"
Just moments earlier, the Northern Irishman was seen letting out his frustrations after once again missing out on the major stage. McIlroy has not won a major since his 2014 PGA Championship victory at Valhalla, and it appeared the ongoing wait was beginning to grate on his game.
Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship in 2023 (Getty Images)Speaking to his team in the locker room in the aftermath of last year's event, McIlroy is heard saying: "My technique is nowhere near as good as it used to be... I almost feel like I want to do a complete reboot. It is the only way I feel like I'm going to break through. It feels so far away.
"I'm not at the stage of my life where I feel like I can do these two-week bootcamps. I feel good enough to be f****** top-ten in my head, but not good win, like winning f****** majors." McIlroy ended the week at Oak Hill at two-under-par for the tournament, seven shots back of Koepka.
The victory also had added meaning for the pair too, with Koepka moving one major title ahead of McIlroy's tally, after winning his first flagship event in four years. Alluding to this, McIlroy told the Full Swing cameras: "F***, someone in my era has got more majors than I have.
"It is hard for me to not define myself as one of the best golfers in the world, so when you struggle like that you feel a little lost." Admitting it was the call he needed to step away from the drama off the course surrounding the Tour and LIV, he added: "I think it was a wake-up call for me to say 'lets just focus on the golf for a little bit."