RORY MCILROY TAKES AIM AT PHIL MICKELSON OVER 'SELFISH. EGOTISTICAL. IGNORANT' COMMENTS...

Rory McIlroy takes aim at Phil Mickelson over "selfish. egotistical. ignorant" comments on Tour battle Rory McIlroy walked off the golf course at Riviera and promptly torched Phil Mickelson and the hopes of the purported Greg Norman led LIV Golf Investments rival league. Referring to Mickelson’s comments from November with American golf writer Alan Shipnuck that revealed his motives for helping to draft the plans around the expected Saudi financed league. McIlroy did not hold back. “I don"t want to kick someone while he"s down obviously. but I thought they were naive. selfish. egotistical. ignorant.” McIlroy said Sunday after posting a top 10 finish in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera. “Lots of words to describe that interaction he had with Shipnuck. It was just very surprising and disappointing. sad. I"m sure he"s sitting at home sort of rethinking his position and where he goes from here.” Mickelson admitted late last year in a phone conversation that the Saudi’s were “sports washing” and called them “scary motherfuckers to get involved with”. “We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights.” he said. “They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this. why would I even consider it? Because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates. “They’ve been able to get by with manipulative. coercive. strong arm tactics because we. the players. had no recourse. As nice a guy as [PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan] comes across as. unless you have leverage. he won’t do what’s right. And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage. I’m not sure I even want [the SGL] to succeed. but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the [PGA] Tour.” The fallout of Mickelson’s revelations has been a slew of pledges of allegiance to the PGA Tour by the bulk of the highest ranked players in the world. On Sunday. Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau â€" considering two of the biggest pieces in Norman’s plan to attract the best talent to his Saudi venture â€" releases statements saying they would remain playing members of the PGA Tour. They joined a chorus of commitments from top players including McIlroy. Jon Rahm. Collin Morikawa. Justin Thomas. Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth in pledging fealty to the PGA Tour. Asked if he thought Johnson’s and DeChambeau’s statement ends the threat of the LIV Golf venture. McIlroy said: “Yeah. yeah. Who"s left? Who"s left to go? I mean. there"s no one. It"s dead in the water in my opinion. I just can"t see any reason why anyone would go.” McIlroy has been steadfast in his commitment to the PGA Tour from the very start last year. and he was pleased to see so many other prominent players fall in step. “I think with everything that"s transpired in the last few days. I don"t think it"s surprising.” he said of Johnson and DeChambeau added themselves to the list. “Like I"ve always reiterated. I feel like this is the best place to play golf if you"re an elite professional golfer. Maybe I"m fortunate that I"ve been more privy to the inner workings of the tour and I"ve been more involved and got quite a good relationship with the leadership team on the PGA Tour. “I"m always very confident that the tour"s headed in the right direction. I was really glad to see DJ and Bryson put out those statements this week. We all want to play against the best players in the world and they"re certainly two of the best players in the world and it"s nice to know that they"re committed to playing here and committed to making this the best tour in the world.” The momentum built up among the top ranked players as Riviera week rolled along. Despite older veterans like Adam Scott expressing keen interest in what LIV Golf is offering. the tide seemed to take a decisive turn in favor of the PGA Tour and its strategic partner. DP World Tour. Even tournament host Tiger Woods made a staunch pledge to return to play golf on the PGA Tour.... #News


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