Rory McIlroy fires back at LIV Golf rumors with fiery statement

We live in an age of misinformation, so it should be no surprise that Rory McIlroy, the most outspoken critic of LIV Golf, recently found his name in reports that he had been offered an $850-million deal from the PGA Tour's chief rival and was seriously considering it. For anyone who has followed McIlroy's public comments since LIV started to cut into the PGA Tour's market share, though, it should also come as no surprise that McIlroy has emphatically refuted that report.

McIlroy has been the PGA Tour's most outspoken advocate in its ongoing battle with LIV. Many of the most recognizable names in golf have defected to the Saudi-funded upstart golf league, including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and most recently, Jon Rahm.

McIlroy, however, has been steadfast in his commitment to the PGA Tour, and although he's needed to walk back some of his most pointed critiques of LIV and the players that now call it home because of the merger agreement that the two tours signed back in June (though when, or if, that merger will actually take place is anyone's guess), the idea that he would reverse course so severely so as to now join the tour that has been the object of his derision is laughable.

For fans of the PGA Tour, losing McIlroy to LIV would be among the greatest betrayals, real or fictional, in history. Think Brutus murdering Julius Caesar, Judas betraying Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, Sang-Woo leaving Ali with a bag of rocks in Squid Game, or Walder Frey betraying Robb and Catelyn Stark in Game of Thrones' Red Wedding (though to be fair, Robb kind of brought that one upon himself if we're being honest).

Rory McIlroy would be a huge get for LIV Golf, but it's never going to happen

Outside of Tiger Woods, there's not a more impactful player LIV could flip than McIlroy, which is precisely why the rumor that they were close to doing just that has gained such traction in sports media. Fear not, though, golf fans, because Rory isn't going anywhere. He recently spoke to Todd Lewis of Golf Central, saying that he's never received an offer from LIV and he's never contemplated making the move. See for yourself:

McIlroy was unequivocal in saying that not only is he not going to LIV, but he will play on the PGA Tour for the rest of his career. If that's not enough to quell the rumors, nothing will.

McIlroy has been more complimentary of LIV the past few months, even shocking many within the golf world by saying, “The emergence of LIV has benefited everyone that plays professional golf" in regards to positive changes the PGA Tour has undergone to compete with LIV.

McIlroy finished T-22 with a score of +1 in last week's Masters, missing the opportunity to claim the one major championship he still needs for the career Grand Slam. His next opportunity to add to his four major wins and snap his 10-year major drought is just a month away, as the PGA Championship will be held at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky on May 16.

Now that he has come out so strongly against these rumors, hopefully, they can be put to bed by the time the tournament rolls around so that he can focus on golf.