Billy Horschel's honest response to Rory McIlroy's dramatic LIV Golf U-turn

Golf pro Billy Horschel has tipped his hat to Rory McIlroy for his honest take on the LIV Golf saga. McIlroy, once an outspoken opponent of the controversial Saudi-backed tour that sparked division within the sport since its 2022 debut, famously declared he would rather hang up his clubs than join LIV, even stating he "hated" it and asserting he'd quit if LIV "if it was the last place to play golf on earth".

Fast forward to the drama of 2023, and the landscape shifted unexpectedly as McIlroy found himself acknowledging a "framework agreement" that could signal a merging of LIV with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

Then, taking the golfing world by surprise earlier this year, McIlroy performed an about-face regarding the rebel tour, conceding that it had become "part of our sport now" and even entertained the possibility of playing in LIV-sanctioned events.

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As the golf community buzzed with reactions, Horschel, who recently snagged victory from McIlroy at the BMW PGA Championship after a gripping play-off, praised McIlroy's transparency. Speaking to Golf, by TourMiss, Horschel shared: "Rory and I are pretty good friends. He's sent me great messages in the past and I've done the same, so we're good friends."

Praising McIlroy's forthrightness, Horschel added: "The great thing also about Rory is that he's always been pretty honest with everyone. He says things as he sees them and while he's changed his mind about what is continuing in the bigger picture in men's golf, I don't fault him for it."

He continued: "So, I found myself applauding him for changing his views and listening to him. There is not many guys in the game of golf better than Rory." McIlroy has voiced concerns that the biggest barriers to solidifying a final agreement in golf's merger conversations are the scrutiny from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and conflicting opinions among players.

After the recent optimistic talks in New York, McIlroy acknowledged the positive atmosphere but was aware of the legal oversight that could interfere, given that the DOJ had already influenced the removal of a non-solicitation clause from the preliminary agreement.

When quizzed about the main hurdles to achieving consensus, McIlroy revealed: "Department of Justice. Maybe different interests from the players' side." He went on to assess the divide among the players, remarking, "I'd say maybe half the players on LIV want the deal to get done, half probably don't. I'd say it's probably similar on the PGA Tour."

McIlroy also highlighted the self-interest prevalent in such negotiations by adding, "Because just like anything, everyone's looking out for themselves and their best interests. It would benefit some people for a deal not to get done, but it would obviously benefit some people for a deal to get done."