Rory McIlroy regrets being “too judgemental” of players on the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour and says he now realizes not everyone is in his or Tiger Wood’s financial situation.

The four-time major champion was one of the PGA Tour’s staunchest defenders.

Rory McIlroy previously revealed that the LIV Rebels will skip the Ryder Cup and more.

Jon Rahm’s position has worsened since his £400m contract was announced.

Rory McIlroy has admitted for the first time that he is “too dismissive” of players on the Saudi-backed LIV golf tour. The four-time major champion has been the PGA Tour’s most reliable defender since the Challenger Circuit was introduced in 2022.

The 34-year-old has taken the league by storm, challenged highly paid golfers and essentially become the face of golf orthodoxy. The sport’s civil war has caused a major rift between the Northern Irishman and his former Ryder Cup teammates, including Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood. Last year, he also strongly opposed allowing North Korean defectors to represent Europe in Rome in September. But responding to his comments about John Rahm’s massive £400m deal with LIV, McIlroy admitted he was too hard on the players he decided to sign.

In December it was announced that Jon Rahm had agreed a £400m deal to join LIV Golf.

“At this point, I think I might have been a little critical of people who went to LIV Golf. And I think that was a little mistake on my part. Because now I’m not in the same position or something. He spoke on Sky Bet’s Stick to Football podcast on behalf of Tiger Wood: We have all become experts in the sport we play. I think that’s something I’ve realized over the last few years.

“I can’t judge the people who make those decisions, so if I regret it, I’m probably being too judgmental.”

Many considered McIlroy’s ambivalence about Rahm’s departure from the PGA Tour a major turning point. The 2014 Open champion said he could not fault the Spaniard for “how good a player he is” and the experiences they shared together.

He also called on the European Tour to “rewrite the Ryder Cup rules” and noted that he wants Lahm to be part of the European team in 2025. The next 12 months will be an exciting time for the PGA and DP World Tours as negotiations for the surprise merger announced in the summer continue to be finalised, with more players expected to move into the main group.
“I’ve spent the last two years using an altruistic approach to see the world the way I want to see it,” he added. “At the end of the day, you can say what you want and do what you want, but at the end of the day, you can’t change people’s minds. You don’t let them make decisions based on what you say.