Inside Rory McIlroy's friendship with Brooks Koepka despite PGA Tour-LIV spat
After it was revealed that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf Series were set to work under one entity last week, all eyes turned to the US Open tee times announcement, with players from both sides being reunited together at Los Angeles Country Club.
And they did not disappoint with tournament organisers putting together PGA Tour loyalist Rory McIlroy and LIV Golf poster boy Brooks Koepka. The pair could not have shared more opposite opinions during golf's ugly civil war.
McIlroy has proved to be arguably LIV Golf's biggest critic over the past year, and not held back in his criticism of the breakaway circuit's CEO Greg Norman and the players that chose to make the Saudi switch.
Even after it was confirmed the two rival tours had come to some sort of agreement on June 6, the four-time major champion still appeared reluctant to welcome back the LIV rebels. In no mood to offer a warm greeting he admitted at the RBC Canadian Open: "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.” One of those McIlroy wants to see punished is LIV's first ever major champion since its inception, Koepka.
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Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy were grouped together at the US Open (Getty Images)Despite his LIV Golf badmouthing it seems the Northern Irishman does have somewhat of a soft spot for Koepka though, having built a strong relationship prior to the American's Saudi switch. Discussing their friendship in 2019, McIlroy said: "I love Brooks, he’s a great guy. Obviously super competitive, like we all are... But Brooks and I are good, we’re good friends."
Even amid the civil war Mcilroy was keen to maintain their relationship, sending a message of congratulations to Koepka following his LIV Orlando win, before practicing alongside each other at this year's Masters.
Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy enjoyed a laugh in round two (Getty Images)The pair left the world of golf shocked when grouping together during practice at Augusta. Revealing how it came around, Koepka commented: "He [McIlroy] texted me congrats on Sunday [after LIV Orlando win], then I asked him if he wanted to play.
"We had that scheduled — it wasn't just a random show up on the tee." They were then reunited once more on Thursday and Friday at the US Open, and despite what was going on off the golf course they could have been mistaken for two pals teeing it up at their local course after work.
Amid their concentration at the task at hand it was all smiles for McIlroy and Koepka, as they were joined by Hideki Matsuyama in Los Angeles. Having remained silent on the merger agreement since arriving on the property, McIlroy went on to do his talking with his golf game, whilst Koepka failed to live up to the high standards he showed during his PGA Championship win last month.
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