Golf looks like a lonely sport. Players walk alone, chase their own scores, and fly to a new city every week. Yet the strongest bonds in the game often grow far away from the cameras.
Then a breakaway league arrived with enormous money and pushed many players to choose. Some stayed loyal to the old tours. Others left, and the choice quietly redrew the map of who stood beside whom.
McIlroy opens up in New Delhi
On Oct. 13, 2026, Rory McIlroy appeared at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi. Asked whether he had lost friends during golf’s split over LIV, McIlroy acknowledged that some relationships had changed.
He said he is no longer as close with some players he previously competed alongside on European Ryder Cup teams. McIlroy added that a difference of opinion about golf’s future was not, by itself, something worth losing friendships over.
Instead, he emphasized the loss of regular contact. The players no longer competed in many of the same tournaments, some became ineligible for the Ryder Cup, and they lived in different places, making it easier to lose touch over time.
What he said back in 2022
Back in September 2022, reporters asked if his bond with Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia could survive. McIlroy replied that he had no idea. He admitted the damage was significant.
He said that he did not have much of a relationship with them at the moment. He also felt LIV players should not be at Wentworth. He called that only his own opinion.
Seventeen LIV Golf players competed at Wentworth that week, alongside Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irish golfer remained focused on winning, explaining that he would give his best effort regardless of which competitors stood beside him during Sunday’s final round.
A wedding party turned distant memory
McIlroy was a groomsman at Sergio Garcia’s wedding in 2017. The two also played on the same European Ryder Cup team 5 times, illustrating how closely their careers had become connected before LIV Golf strained their friendship.
Ryder Cup weeks create unusual opportunities for individual golfers to function as teammates. Players practice, compete and spend time together throughout an intense event, helping relationships develop beyond ordinary tournament competition.
McIlroy partnered with Ian Poulter 6 times in Ryder Cup matches. He and Garcia were also frequent Ryder Cup partners, including 3 matches together at Gleneagles in 2014 and another match in Paris in 2018. Those shared experiences help explain why their later falling-out attracted so much attention.
Why betrayal became his chosen word
McIlroy told The Guardian in 2022 that the defections left him feeling betrayed. He explained that experiencing such a feeling was a first in his life, highlighting how deeply the decisions affected him.
The Ryder Cup asks players to fight for a team. That shared cause can build very deep bonds between teammates. Seeing those bonds tested by a rival tour helps explain why the word betrayal surfaced.
In a later post on X, McIlroy wrote that the best thing for the 2023 European team was Henrik Stenson joining LIV. Lee Westwood then fired back. The exchange showed how raw the feelings remained.
Rome felt strange without old friends
The 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy was McIlroy’s seventh appearance in the event. Several familiar European Ryder Cup figures were absent, including Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and Graeme McDowell.
McIlroy said those absent players would miss the Ryder Cup more than Team Europe would miss them. He suggested the week in Rome would bring home what they had sacrificed by moving away from the traditional European Tour structure.
Europe went on to beat the United States 16½-11½ at Marco Simone, with Luke Donald captaining the European side against Zach Johnson’s U.S. team. The victory demonstrated that Europe could succeed without several players who had played major roles in previous Ryder Cups.
Little-known fact: McIlroy became only the third golfer to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year when he received the award in 2025. Dai Rees won in 1957 and Nick Faldo in 1989.
A rival league loses its backer
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund backed LIV with an estimated $5 billion to $7 billion. The fund pulled its support earlier this year. LIV has since filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
McIlroy said LIV probably had half of a good idea that was executed pretty poorly. He felt its capital was partly wasted. In his view, the money could have gone to partnerships with governing bodies.
McIlroy and Tiger Woods fronted the indoor TV league called TGL. McIlroy admitted LIV took something away from it because players left. Even so, he said he would vote to welcome them back.
Westwood fires back at McIlroy
In August, McIlroy questioned whether LIV golfers had brought value to LIV itself. The comment came when he was asked about their value to the PGA Tour. It was a pointed jab.
Lee Westwood took umbrage at the remark. He told TNT he really did not care what people think. Westwood had played with McIlroy on Team Europe for over a decade before joining LIV in 2022.
The jab and the reply show how personal this split can feel. It is not only about money or tour rules but also about loyalty and pride. Those feelings rarely fade quickly for either side.
Can old friends find their way back?
There is real hope for repair. In June 2023, Garcia said he and McIlroy had rekindled their friendship at the US Open. Garcia said he felt he had regained a friend.
Garcia said the reunion may not have happened without support from their wives. That detail suggests golf friendships depend on families as much as fairways, so support at home may help heal wounds.
McIlroy’s latest comments suggest the door stays open. Shared schedules often do most of the healing in golf. If former LIV players return to the DP World Tour, old teammates may finally share fairways again.
TL;DR
- McIlroy said on October 13, 2026, that he is less close with some former European Ryder Cup teammates since LIV.
- He blamed lost contact and different schedules more than lasting anger.
- In 2022, he said he barely had a relationship with Garcia, Poulter and Westwood.
- Garcia and McIlroy reconciled in 2023, and McIlroy now says he would vote to let LIV players return.
Read More From This Brand:
- Sergio Garcia opens door to PGA Tour return after LIV Golf exit
- Jon Rahm’s LIV Golf exit delivers a massive blow to the league’s survival fight
- Jordan Spieth reveals major health update as his PGA Tour comeback enters crucial stage
This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
