Rory McIlroy speaks out again against LIV Golf ahead of PGA Tour event
The focus for the PGA Tour should be on the RBC Canadian Open, which tees off on Thursday at St. George's Golf Course in Toronto. Of course, a good portion of that spotlight has shifted to the players who have resigned from the Tour to play in the LIV Golf Invitational for substantial amounts of money, regardless of the fact it's funded by a country accused of heinous human rights violations.
PGA pro Rory McIlroy was asked about the situation when he took the podium on Wednesday ahead of the Canadian Open. And, as was expected, the Irishman spoke out against the decision to leave the Tour in search of an enormous payday.
"In speaking to a couple of people yesterday, one of the comments was 'any decision that you make in your life that's purely for money, doesn't usually end up going the right way,'" McIlroy said. "Obviously money is the deciding factor in a lot of things in this world. But if it's purely for money, it never seems to go the way you want it to."
The four-time major champion has been one of the most vocal critics of the breakaway league for its association with Saudi Arabia. Even as he tried on Wednesday not to call any of his fellow golfers out by name, McIlroy clearly hasn't changed his stance on the matter.
"I understand the guys who went, I understand what their goals and their ambitions are," he said. "I'm certainly not knocking anyone for going. It's their life. It's their decision... But for me, I want to play on the PGA Tour against the best players in the world."
The PGA Tour has denied players' requests to participate in LIV Golf events as they coincide with Tour events and made a strong stance against golfers playing in both leagues. The stance has resulted in multiple players leaving the Tour to play in the league's first event, which takes place in London this week.
The biggest draw for the LIV Golf Invitational has been the monetary factor. Dustin Johnson, who said the decision to join LIV "was best for my and my family," is getting paid around $125 million just to participate in the league. Phil Mickelson, who was the first to say he wanted to join for the money in a very controversial interview, is reportedly being paid upwards of $200 million. There is no word yet on what other golfers who have recently been reported to enter the LIV field are being offered.
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