LIV Golf’s Sergio Garcia Rips Rory McIlroy For Abandoning Friendship and ‘Lacking Maturity’

Garcia is not happy with the lack of “respect” McIlroy has for his decision to join LIV.

Sergio Garcia is not pleased with the way Rory McIlroy has handled their relationship since he joined the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf league. 

Garcia, who will tee it up at El Camaleon Golf Course this week for LIV’s first event of the season, expressed his “sadness” over the situation to The Telegraph.

“I think it is very sad,” Garcia told The Telegraph’s James Corrigan on Thursday. “I think that we’ve done so many things together and had so many experiences that for him to throw that away just because I decided to go to a different tour, well, it doesn’t seem very mature; lacking maturity, really.”

Garcia and McIlroy—former Ryder Cup teammates—had been on good standing until the Spaniard left the PGA Tour for LIV in June. Since the emergence of the Saudi-backed breakaway league, McIlroy has been a vocal supporter of the PGA Tour, even leading the effort to restructure the PGA Tour schedule with Tiger Woods. 

“Rory’s got his own life and he makes his own choices, the same way that I make mine. I respect his choice, but it seems like he doesn’t respect the ones I make. So a one-way street,” Garcia continued. 

Garcia, a former Masters champion, has not been one to hold back with comments on the ongoing battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.  

In December, Garcia fired back after Woods called for LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman to step down from his position. 

“They say that Greg Norman has to go; and Monahan has to stay or go?” Garcia said. “It’s very easy to say those on the other side have to go. And those on your side? There are also people who have done things wrong.”

The next time Garcia and McIlroy will be tee it up at the same tournament will be in early April at the 2023 Masters.