Rory McIlroy Fires Back at LIV Golf With a Witty Jab Following Greg Norman’s Strong Statement

After a year full of close calls, Rory McIlroy finally has a big win to his name. The golfer overturned Scottie Scheffler’s lead at the Tour Championship to win his third FedExCup title. Following his impressive win, McIlroy didn’t spare much time to take a dig at the rival Tour, LIV Golf.

Rory McIlroy has been clinical in the final rounds in most of the Tournaments and Majors this season. He carded a four-under 66 to defeat the world number one Scottie Scheffler and the South Korean Sungjae Kim on 21 under. The 33-year-old receives $18 million in prize money for his win at East Lake Golf Course.

McIlroy has been very much vocal about his criticism of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf. He took a dig at the Tour’s CEO Greg Norman for having lesser professional wins than him, following his RBC Heritage win earlier this year. Norman responded to McIlroy by saying, “I do know he has asked for sizeable appearance fees to play in Saudi Arabia“. He further added, “His next goal should be to win more than 91 tournaments globally or to maintain No. 1 in the world for more than 331 weeks”.

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However, McIlroy finally fired back with yet another dig at the lucrative Tour. Instead of targeting the CEO like last time, the four-time Major winner decided to diss his former PGA Tour players who made the jump to LIV Golf.

Rory McIlroy takes a dig at LIV Golf players

Following his 22nd PGA Tour win, McIlroy discussed about his mindset during the final holes. He talked about how crucial a lead is at the end moments, especially around the 70th hole, which he managed to take in the final round of FedEx Cup playoffs. Rory McIlroy said, “The 70th hole is a nice time to take the lead of a golf tournament.”

East Lake Golf Course, just like most other courses in the world has a 72-par course. However, the tournaments played in the LIV Tour will be played with only 54 holes. This has resulted in the Tour receiving further criticism and also earning the infamous nickname “54 Tour.”

With the same context in mind, McIlroy mocked the nemesis of the PGA Tour by saying, “Yeah, or the 52nd hole if you play somewhere else”. The 52nd hole in a LIV tournament is similar to the 70th hole in a PGA Tournament because of its penultimate factor.

McIlroy has maintained his loyalty to the PGA Tour since the inception of LIV Golf. The Northern Ireland star has even taken measures such as the formation of a new golf league alongside the PGA Tour and his good friend Tiger Woods, to dethrone the LIV Golf. Regardless of which PGA Tour star becomes the next defector, it’s safe to say Rory McIlroy will continue his tenure at the 92-year-old Tour.

What are your thoughts on McIlroy’s words? Let us know in the comments section below!

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