Rory McIlroy says he still respects Phil Mickelson as a golfer but is "disappointed" with how the six-time Major winning American has handled his departure from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf.
LIV Golf is still the talk of the town this week at The Country Club for the US Open, with McIlroy facing question after question about Greg Norman's new Saudi-backed start-up series, and one of the big topics is Phil Mickelson. Lefty made his return to the US media on home soil on Monday, where he faced a tough question on the letter he received from the 9/11 Families United group. McIlroy was asked whether he had lost respect for Mickelson in his press conference, and said he still respects him "tremendously."
"As a golfer? No [I haven't lost respect for him]," he said. He won a Major championship 13 months ago, probably one of the crowning achievements of his career and one of the most impressive achievements in the history of the game of golf. As a golfer, I have the utmost respect for Phil.
"I've been disappointed with how he has went about what he has done, but I think he has come back and shown some remorse about how he has handled some things so I think he has learned from that. Who am I to sit up here and give Phil a lesson on how to do things? He has had a wonderful career. He is his own man. He is a great addition to the field this week. Am I disappointed he has taken the route that he has taken? I am, but I still respect him tremendously."
McIlroy also admitted that a number of LIV Golf players' "best days are behind them" and stressed that those his age or younger are "taking the easy way out." Past US Open Bryson DeChambeau, aged 28, recently signed up with LIV and said it was a "business decision."
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