Rory McIlroy details phone call with Tour ally over LIV Golf move after being left 'disappointed'
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Rory McIlroy has revealed his fellow Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin called him after being offered the chance to join LIV Golf by Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm. McKibbin looks set to make the move to the LIV setup for 2025, with Rahm replacing Kieran Vincent with the rising European star. McKibbin has strong ties to McIlroy, with both playing golf in their youth at Holywood Golf Club, with the four-time major champion acting as somewhat of a mentor to the youngster.
Now though, the youngster is on the brink of joining the breakaway league that McIlroy has been a long-time critic of, and the four-time major champion has admitted the 22-year-old reached out to him when the offer came his way. Speaking at this week's Hero Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy said: "As soon as he got the offer, he rang me. We had a really good conversation and I talked to him multiple times over the course of December to get a feel for what he was thinking, and what he was going to do. All I could do is give my perspective.".
McKibbin was one of the 10 top-performing DP World Tour players in 2024, thus earning him a full card on the PGA Tour for the current campaign. The Northern Irishman will however be forced to give up this honour when joining LIV, with the American tour continuing to ban any member that competes on the rival circuit.
