LIV Golf: McIlroy says PGA Tour wins diminished by absence of Rahm, Hatton and others, eyes their return
- Speaking before Pebble Beach Pro-Am, McIlroy says he would rather stand on the 18th green having beaten the best
- LIV Golf League season begins in Mexico this week, with Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton part of new Legion XIII team
The third season of the LIV Golf League starts in Mexico on Friday with a new team, a higher profile, and a further thawing of relations between it and one of the Saudi-backed circuit’s fiercest critics.
Jon Rahm’s arrival as the captain of Legion XIII has given the tour another major winner, and his recruitment of Ryder Cup teammate Tyrrell Hatton two more players ranked among the top 20 in the world.
Recognising the impact their departure from the PGA Tour is likely to have, Rory McIlroy acknowledged that some wins in America would be diminished as a result.
Speaking before this week’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Northern Irishman said he would like to “stand up with a trophy on 18 green and know that I’ve beaten all of the best players in the world”.
The absence of the likes of major winners Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and now also Rahm, who have been banned by the PGA, makes that impossible.
With the likes of Talor Gooch, Adrian Meronk, Hatton and the rest also opting to join LIV, tournaments in North America can no longer boast to having the game’s best.
