Rory McIlroy may have fallen out with Sergio Garcia over LIV Golf but that doesn't mean he isn't still friends with other players that left for the Saudi-backed 54-hole circuit.
The Northern Irishman lives in Jupiter, FL, where many pros are based, and is playing a practice round with fellow Florida resident Brooks Koepka on Tuesday at Augusta National.
Koepka recently revealed that "no one is angry at anybody" and that he spent half an hour chatting to McIlroy recently in Jupiter about the newly proposed golf ball rollback.
It seems the pair are friends despite McIlroy being surprised by Koepka's LIV Golf move last year. “Am I surprised? Yes, because of what he said previously," McIlroy said last year, hinting that he believed Koepka was loyal to the PGA Tour.
"I think that's why I'm surprised at a lot of these guys because they say one thing and then they do another. I took them at their word and I was wrong," he said.
The pair, both former World No.1s and each with four Major titles under their belt, are playing nine holes together ahead of this week's tournament.
"I see some of these guys at home, I see Brooks a lot, I see DJ a lot, we sort of practice at the same place," McIlroy said.
"As you said, I think the more face time you get with some people, the more comfortable you become in some way. I'm going to go play nine holes here with Brooks in a little bit.
"And look, it's a very nuanced situation and there's different dynamics. You know, it's okay to get on with Brooks and DJ and maybe not get on with some other guys that went to LIV, right. It's interpersonal relationships, that's just how it goes.
"But this week and this tournament is way bigger than any of that, I feel, and it's just great that all of the best players in the world are together again for the first time in what seems to be quite a while."
McIlroy says he's going to play 9 holes with LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka today pic.twitter.com/Kvo6JK5gNvApril 4, 2023
The Northern Irishman also responded to Cameron Smith's comments that LIV players need to play well this week in response to claims that they don't play real golf. He thinks that the Aussie may be playing under more pressure this week because of that.
"I think that only puts more pressure on themselves that they are not just playing for themselves and they are playing for this cause," he said.
"That might help in some way, I don't know. But as I said before, I think this tournament is bigger than all of that. Look, it's a narrative and a storyline, but the Masters and the four Major championships sit above all that noise, and that's the way it should be this week."
McIlroy recorded his best ever Masters result last year, when he holed a bunker shot on the final green to card a 64 for a runner-up finish. He looks to claim his first Green Jacket once again this week as he attempts to complete the career grand slam.
