Rory McIlroy Rips Brooks Koepka For Joining LIV Golf

Rory McIlroy’s outspokenness against the LIV Golf Invitational Series continued Wednesday, this time directed at the most recent big name to defect from the PGA Tour in Brooks Koepka.

The four-time Major champion was officially announced by LIV Golf Wednesday as its newest member, despite pledging his loyalty towards the PGA Tour as recent as last week ahead of the U.S. Open. Koepka has subsequently withdrawn from this week’s Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. McIlroy said that Koepka and other are “duplicitous” for not following through on their commitments to the PGA Tour.

BROOKS KOEPKA LEAVING PGA TOUR FOR LIV GOLF SERIES

🗣️ "They say one thing and do another thing."

Rory McIlroy says he has been surprised by the "duplicitous" behaviour of some of the golfers who have joined the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational series.pic.twitter.com/ZS2XMLdIL0

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) June 22, 2022

“But am I surprised? Yes, because of what he said previously,” McIlroy said, via ESPN. “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 don’t understand that, and I don’t know if that’s for legal reasons or if they can’t — I have no idea. But it’s pretty duplicitous on their part to say one thing and then do another thing.”

Koepka, 32, side-stepped questions relating to LIV Golf last week, saying he felt the media was putting a “black cloud” over the U.S. Open by bringing up the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit. But Koepka is indeed on his way to LIV Golf and will make his debut at the circuit’s next event June 30-July 2 in Portland, Oregon.

“I’m here at the U.S. Open,” Koepka said. “I’m ready to play the U.S. Open, and I think it kind of sucks, too, you are all throwing this black cloud over the U.S. Open. It’s one of my favorite events. I don’t know why you guys keep doing that. The more legs you give [LIV Golf], the more you keep talking about it.”

Koepka, ranked No. 19 in the Official World Golf Rankings, is the second-highest ranked player in LIV Golf. Dustin Johnson, two-time Major winner and former world No. 1, is the highest-ranked player at No. 16 in the world.

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