LIV Golf player Sergio Garcia has revealed he and Rory McIlroy have ended their feud. The pair had been best friends before the emergence of LIV Golf, with McIlroy a groomsman at the Spaniard’s wedding, but that relationship disintegrated once Garcia joined the circuit.
In December, McIlroy revealed a tense text exchange he’d had with Garcia, while the following month he said there was “no way” their friendship could be rekindled.
The Spaniard is in his homeland for this week’s LIV tournament at Valderrama, and, during the build-up, he explained that tension eased at the US Open earlier in June.
He said: “It wasn't because of the merger, but the US Open a week and a half ago, it was a great - or two weeks ago, it was a great event for me. Not obviously you would say why. I finished 27th. Not only because of that. I feel like I played well.
“But more than anything, because I gained a friend back, a friend that I kind of felt like I lost in the last year or so. We talked and we had a great conversation, and I feel like I have that friend back, and that to me means a lot. That's a very positive thing.”
Per The Telegraph’s Golf Correspondent James Corrigan the catalyst for reviving their friendship was Garcia's wife, Angela. Garcia explained: “Angela and Rory, they said hi to each other at the US Open and then there was a nice text from Rory to her and that kind of gave me the go ahead to reach out to him [by text].
“I had been thinking about it for a while but I wasn’t totally sure. But then I saw that reaction from him and it kind of gave me the incentive to get closer and we had a great chat. I think that at the end of the day, the important thing is that we got together and talked – we were two friends that wanted to get back to that spot. Like I said, no doubt it was the saddest part of all of this, these friendships turning sour.”
'I Will Not Be Playing Much At All On The PGA Tour'
As well as providing the chance to revive an old friendship, the merger promises the opportunity for Garcia and other LIV Golf players to return to the PGA Tour in the future. However, that’s something the Garcia admits is not too high on his agenda.
He said: “I mean, to be totally honest, I came to LIV because of different reasons, but one of them was to be able to play a little bit less.
“Obviously that's not going to change. If everything goes according to plan like we expect it to be, I will not be playing much at all on the PGA Tour because I don't plan on playing 30 events a year. That's not something that is in my mind at the moment.
“Obviously as things settle and we know exactly where we all stand, then we can make decisions. But I wouldn't think so. Not at the moment, I guess.”
After this week's tournament, Garcia will try to earn a place in The Open at Royal Liverpool when he takes part in next Tuesday’s final qualifying.
