Rory McIlroy Chirps Back At Phil Mickelson After Latest Negative Comments About PGA Tour

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Last week, Phil Mickelson made headlines after making his harshest comments yet about the PGA Tour while pledging his allegiance to LIV Golf. Rory McIlroy didn't appreciate what the lefty had to say, specifically his comment about the PGA Tour "trending downwards."

Preparing to make his first start of the young PGA Tour season at this week's CJ Cup, McIlroy was of course asked about Mickelson's comments.

McIlroy doesn't see where Mickelson got the idea that the Tour is moving in the wrong direction.

“I guess for them to be talking the way they are, it’s bold and it’s, you know, I think there’s a ton of propaganda being used and all sorts of stuff," McIlroy said. "I certainly don’t see the PGA Tour trending downward at all. All the talent, 95 percent of the talent, is here. You’ve got people like Tom Kim coming through who that’s the future of our game.”

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Rory McIlroy continues to be a sobering voice in the world of golf. (Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

Mickelson's comments about LIV trending in a positive direction and the PGA Tour going the opposite way struck a nerve with plenty of Tour players, media members, and fans of the game.

 “I think going forward, you have to pick a side. You have to pick what side do you think is going to be successful," Mickelson said at last week's LIV event in Jeddah. “And I firmly believe that I’m on the winning side of how things are going to evolve and shape in the coming years for professional golf.’’

“And I see LIV Golf trending upwards, I see the PGA Tour trending downwards and I love the side that I’m on.”

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McIlroy, who has emerged as the unofficial spokesperson of the PGA Tour, is smart enough to realize Mickelson is simply politicking giving his position with LIV Golf.

“I don’t agree with what Phil said last week. I understand why he said it because of the position he is in, but I don’t think anyone that takes a logical view of the game of golf can agree with what he said," McIlroy explained.

This is just the latest, but certainly not the last, back-and-forth we'll see between PGA Tour players and LIV golfers as the war in the golf world doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.