Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia have ended their feud in the wake of the proposed peace deal between golf’s rival factions.
The former Ryder Cup team-mates fell out following Garcia’s move to LIV Golf, with McIlroy emerging as the most vocal opponent to the Saudi-funded breakaway.
But even though McIlroy admitted earlier this month that he still “hates” LIV Golf, he and Garcia rekindled their friendship at the US Open in Los Angeles.
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Asked in a press conference ahead of LIV’s event in Valderrama this week if the deal was good news, Garcia said: “I think so. I think it’s great.
“I think in my personal opinion I wish this would have happened a year and a half ago when we all started, and it would have been better for all of us. I really think so.
“To give you an example – it wasn’t because of the merger, but the US Open was a great event for me.
“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.”
Speaking to reporters after the press conference, Garcia revealed that a friendly interaction at the US Open between his wife Angela and McIlroy had been the catalyst.
“I had been thinking about it for a while but I wasn’t totally sure,” Garcia said.
“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.”
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