World number two Rory McIlroy has labelled the players who have joined the LIV Golf Series “duplicitous” for the way they have handled their breakaway. Fellow four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, whose brother Chase played in the opening event at Centurion Club earlier this month, is the latest star to sign up to the Saudi-backed invitational events.
The former world number one will play in the second 54-hole, 48-man tournament – which has a prize fund of 25 million US dollars (£20.4million) – in Portland, Oregon, next week but only a few days ago the 32-year-old, who will be suspended by the PGA Tour as a result of his decision, complained that questions on the topic at Brookline were throwing a “black cloud” over the US Open. In March, former world number one Dustin Johnson stressed his full commitment to the PGA Tour only to perform a U-turn three months later and that sort of behaviour annoys McIlroy, who is on the tour’s player advisory council.
Asked whether he was surprised by Koepka’s decision before it was officially announced, the Northern Irishman said: “Am I surprised? Yes, because of what he said previously. I think that’s why I’m surprised at a lot of these guys because they say one thing and then they do another and I don’t understand.
