Rory McIlroy made a very interesting revelation about Donald Trump on Wednesday.
McIlroy spoke with the media ahead of The Genesis Invitational, which is being held at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif. The 35-year-old revealed that he recently played a round of golf with the current United States president. Not only that, but according to McIlroy, Trump shared that he is not a fan of the LIV Golf format.
“It was really good,” McIlroy said of the round. “I learned that he’s not a fan of the LIV format. I was like, ‘but you’ve hosted their events?’ He was like, ‘yeah, but it doesn’t mean that I like it.’ So I think he’s on the Tour’s side.”
LIV Golf was founded in 2021 and played its first season in 2022. The league’s formation and pursuit of star golfers became a huge story around that time. As numerous high-profile golfers left the PGA Tour to join LIV, McIlroy remained and even held a leadership position with the PGA Tour. He was the most vocal critic of LIV Golf. But he was blindsided when the PGA Tour eventually accepted a merger with LIV amid legal and financial pressure from the Saudi-backed league.
Though the two sides have merged, there is still an ongoing competition between the leagues.
LIV Golf features three-day, 54-hole events rather than four-day, 72-hole events like the PGA Tour. They have a team format as well and no cuts.
Trump National Doral Miami and Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey have both hosted LIV Golf events. But just because his courses have held LIV events doesn’t mean Trump is in love with the format. Interestingly, McIlroy says the round he played with Trump took place prior to the president’s inauguration.
