Koepka (left) and McIlroy had a friendly rivalry when competing for the majors
Rory McIlroy has said that the players joining LIV Golf are “quite duplicates” as Brooks Koepka became the latest to move on to the new series backed by Saudi Arabia.
Four-time main champion Koepka joins compatriots Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau in the new $ 250 million eight-event series.
McIlroy, a staunch supporter of the PGA Tour, said he did not expect the former world number one to desert to LIV Golf.
“Am I surprised? Yes, from what he said before,” he said.
“I think that’s why I’m surprised by a lot of these guys, because they say one thing and then do another and I don’t understand.
“I don’t know if it’s for legal reasons – I have no idea – but it’s quite a duplicity on his part to say one thing and then do another. In public and in private.”
Speaking at the U.S. Open last week, where he finished 55th after a poor weekend, Koepka complained that questions about the LIV Golf series were casting a “black cloud” over the major.
Meanwhile, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has called LIV Golf a “not healthy competition.”
“As I told the players [on Tuesday], make it clear to me, I’m not naive. If it’s an arms race and if the only weapons here are the dollar bills, the PGA Tour can’t compete with a foreign monarchy that is spending billions of dollars trying to buy the game of golf, ”he said. Monahan.
“We welcome good and healthy competition. The LIV Saudi Golf League is not that. It is an irrational threat, which does not care about the return on investment or the real growth of the game.”
Koepka had already retired from Thursday’s PGA Tour event, the Travelers Championship, and has been described as an “amazing” addition to the LIV Golf series by its executive director Greg Norman.
“The addition of Brooks is one more example of the incredible courses that LIV Golf is bringing together as we create momentum in our first season and look to the future,” Norman said.
The American is expected to play his first LIV event in the second 54-hole, 48-man tournament, which will be held June 30-July 2 in Portland, Oregon.
He will join his brother Chase in the series, and on Tuesday it was announced that Mexican Abraham Ancer, 31, the world number 20, has also signed up to play in the LIV Golf series.
Koepka, now number 19 in the world rankings, won the U.S. Open in 2017 and 2018 and is also a two-time U.S. PGA Champion, with the Wanamaker Trophy in 2018 and 2019.
Norman Koepka added: “The impact Brooks Koepka has had on the game of golf over the last five years cannot be underestimated. He has a championship pedigree and a record of success as one of the most elitist players in the world.” .
The PGA Tour suspended 17 members who took part in the first tournament at the Centurion Club in early June, which was won by Charl Schwartzel, and Koepka is likely to receive the same treatment.
The organization said in a statement: “Players are notified that they are suspended or can no longer participate in the PGA Tour, including the Presidents Cup.
“Players did not receive the required media rights and conflicting events notices, or did not request any release, and their participation violates our tournament rules. The same fate befalls any other player who participate in the future Saudi Golf League. events “.
It was also announced on Wednesday that LIV players will be able to compete in the 150th Open Championship in July. The U.S. Open also allowed LIV golfers to participate.