Rory McIlroy tells rising Northern Irish star: 'Don't join LIV Golf‘
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Tom McKibbin honed his game at the same Northern Ireland club as McIlroy but is set to turn his back on the PGA Tour. Rory McIlroy has expressed his disappointment at Tom McKibbin's potential move to LIV Golf and feels it is "not worth the sacrifice". McKibbin, who shared a warm embrace with McIlroy after securing a PGA Tour card at the end of last season, looks poised to joined the Legion XIII team of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton in the Saudi-funded breakaway league.
![[Rory McIlroy has discussed speculation over Tom McKibbin’s impending move to LIV Golf]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/15/13/2193993075.jpg)
The 22-year-old honed his game at the same club in Northern Ireland as McIlroy and rang the four-time major winner for advice about the potentially-lucrative switch. "I have known Tom since he was 10, 11 years old, and as soon as he got the offer, he rang me," McIlroy said ahead of his title defence in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
![[Tom McKibbin is set to join LIV Golf]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2022/12/01/17/25ef02356010f3bfe2937d017b95eb64Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNjY5OTk5NDA3-2.61295559.jpg)
"I had just landed in New Zealand. We had a really good conversation and I talked to him multiple times over the course of December to sort of get a feel for what he was thinking and what he was going to do. And all I could do is give my perspective. "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'.
"Working so hard to get your Tour card in the States, something that he did, to achieve that goal last year was a big achievement. "I think what he potentially is sacrificing and giving up with access to majors, potential Ryder Cup spot... if I were in his position and I had his potential, which I think I have been before, I wouldn't make that decision.
