Rory McIlroy doesn’t hold back in stern warning to Tom McKibbin over his proposed LIV Golf switch
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RORY McIlroy has warned Tom McKibbin 'If I were you, I'd make a different choice' in regard to his rumoured LIV Golf switch. Speculation has been rife for the past week that the 22-year-old is set to join the Saudi-backed tour in a deal worth €8 million.
![[Rory McIlroy speaking into a microphone.]](https://www.thesun.ie/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/01/RORY.png?strip=all&w=436)
Such a decision would mark a massive deviation from McIlroy's career trajectory - with McKibbin up until now appearing to be following in the four-time major winner's footsteps. After all, they hail from the same County Down golf club in Hollywood. McIlroy, 35, was quizzed on the ongoing buzz linking his protege with Jon Rahm's Legion XIII team.
![[Tom McKibbin at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.]](https://www.thesun.ie/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/01/tom-mckibbin-northen-ireland-looks-963900008.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Speaking on the eve of the Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy told Golf Digest: "I really like Tom as a person, as a player. "I think he's got a ton of potential. I said to him, if I were in your shoes, I would make a different choice than the one you're thinking of making.
![[Rory McIlroy and Tom McKibbin at a golf practice round.]](https://www.thesun.ie/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/01/rory-mcilroy-northern-ireland-interacts-962213098.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
"I think working so hard to get your [PGA] Tour card in the States, something that he did, to achieve that goal last year was a big achievement. "What he potentially is sacrificing and giving up with access to majors, potential Ryder Cup spot, depending on how he would play….
"If I were in his position and I had his potential, which I think I have been before, I wouldn't make that decision. "I'm not him. I'm not in his shoes. He's a grown man at this point and can make his own decisions. "All I can do is try to give him my perspective.
