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Rory McIlroy Reveals the Unspoken Fallout of Golf’s Civil War on His Personal Relationships

Rory McIlroy has opened up about the personal toll of golf’s LIV split, revealing how the divide reshaped relationships with former teammates. The six-time major champion, a vocal opponent of the breakaway league, admitted that some of his closest Ryder Cup colleagues—including Sergio García, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood—drifted away after joining LIV.

By late 2022, McIlroy said he had ‘not much of a relationship’ with García or Poulter, though tensions later eased, with García later calling their friendship ‘back.’ The rift extended beyond opinions on golf’s future; differing schedules and eligibility rules for majors and team events like the Ryder Cup left many players physically and professionally out of sync, accelerating the loss of contact. McIlroy, who was part of García’s 2017 wedding party and partnered Poulter six times in Ryder Cup teams, framed the split as a natural consequence of diverging paths rather than a deliberate falling-out, though the emotional weight of the sport’s fracture remains undeniable.

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