"I respect the hell out of him as a golfer" - Rory McIlroy says he will 'miss' Jon Rahm as he joins LIV Golf 

Rory McIlroy reacted to 2023 Masters winner Jon Rahm parting ways with the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf. Rahm confirmed his deal with LIV Golf in a recent Instagram post.

McIlroy has since stated that he will miss competing against Rahm. He praised the Spaniard for his extraordinary golf abilities and mentioned that the Ryder Cup teammate was a terrific golfer.

Rory McIlroy told Sky Sports, via Mirror Sport:

"I am going to miss competing against him [Jon Rahm] week-in-week-out. He is such a good player, he has so much talent. He is so tenacious and a great teammate at the Ryder Cup. I have nothing but good things to say about Jon. I respect the hell out of him as a golfer.”

The four-time major champion also supported Rahm's decision to join LIV, saying that the latter just wants to 'live his life the right way'. No one, according to McIlroy, should judge the Spaniard for wanting to do what's best for him.

"He seems like he wants to live his life the right way. He wants to be a good dad, a good husband. You can't judge someone for making a decision that is the best thing for them," Rory McIlroy added.

Rory McIlroy has been an ardent supporter of the PGA Tour. He had voiced his opinion against the players who joined the Saudi circuit in the last two years and was supposedly heartbroken after the PGA Tour revealed a shock merger with LIV earlier this year.

Last month, the 34-year-old also resigned from the PGA Tour's policy board. The position was later offered to Rahm, but he apparently rejected it before Jordan Spieth finally took up the responsibility.

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"I am officially joining LIV Golf" - Jon Rahm confirms his move to LIV Golf

After a month of speculation, Jon Rahm has officially become a member of LIV Golf. The Spaniard confirmed the news in his recent Instagram post and also spoke about the decision in an interview with Fox News.

Rahm started off by saying that some of the rumors linking him with LIV Golf 'were true' before admitting that it wasn't an 'easy decision' to make.

Rahm said:

"As you can see now it's official this is me finally saying after all the rumours, some of them were true, and I am officially joining LIV Golf. It's not an easy decision. I've had a very successful career and I'm happy. There are a lot of things that LIV Golf have to offer which were very enticing, starting with team golf."

Rahm will compete in the 2024 season of the LIV Golf. He had reportedly signed a $566.4 (£450m) million deal with the circuit, as per the BBC.