"I always enjoyed Phil" - Rory McIlroy says he never saw Phil Mickelson as a ‘threat’

Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson are perceived as arch-enemies by fans of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The two golfers have been up against one another ever since Mickelson’s defection to LIV. Now, McIlroy has come out to state that he never thought of the American as a “threat.”

According to journalist Paul Kimmage’s sit down with McIlroy published in the Sunday Independent, McIlroy said that he had a good relationship with Phil Mickelson. The Irish golfer said that he always “enjoyed” Phil’s company as well. However, the Irishman went on to add that he never considered the American to be a top name in the game.

Throwing shade on the LIV golfer, McIlroy said that he always considered Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia to be greats. He said that Mickelson was not a real ‘threat.’

According to the Independent.ie, Rory McIlroy said:

“Phil has always been great to me. His wife, Amy, is lovely, always super nice and cordial, and I always enjoyed Phil. He’s pretty funny in his own way. The first time I met him was at the Barclays Singapore Open in 2009, he was sponsored by Barclays at the time.”

He added:

“Then over the years, I got, not closer with him, but I spent more time with him through the Ryder Cups and when we were paired together at events. But in terms of where he sat on my radar growing up … obviously a great player, a great, great, golfer, but Tiger was my hero and I never saw Phil as a threat.”

Replying to Kimmage’s query on what he meant by “threat,” McIlroy said that Mickelson couldn’t live up to Woods’ legacy in the game.

He said:

“A threat to Tiger’s legacy. I sort of put him in the same boat as Ernie Els — great player, household name, always up there — but the two people I looked up to most as a kid were Tiger and Sergio [Garcia].”

Rory McIlroy calls Mickelson's comments 'egotistical'

It is pertinent to note that Rory McIlroy’s comment comes months after he slammed Phil Mickelson following his move to LIV Golf. Back in February, the Irishman called Mickelson’s controversial interview with Alan Shipnuck as being “disappointing.” He also claimed that the American golfer regretted his decisions regarding LIV.

Speaking in February about Mickelson, McIlroy had said:

“I don’t want to kick someone while he’s down obviously, but I thought they were naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant… A lot of words to describe that interaction he had with Shipnuck. It was just very surprising and disappointing, sad… I’m sure he’s sitting at home sort of rethinking his position and where he goes from here.”

Rory McIlroy slams LIV Golf's 'propaganda'

It is pertinent to note that the two golfers continued their back and forth over the next few months. In October, Rory McIlroy once again clapped back at Mickelson after he claimed to have chosen the “winning side” in the PGA Tour-LIV Golf debate.

Commenting on this, the four-time major winner said that he "didn’t agree" with anything Mickelson said. Speaking ahead of the CJ Cup, McIlroy slammed the LIV golfers and said they were passing statements as part of the Saudi-backed series’ "propaganda".