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Veteran golfer Rory McIlroy is currently in Dubai to compete at DP World Tour's Dubai Desert Classic. This tournament will be McIlroy's first tournament since the DP World Tour Championship in 2024. Ahead of the tournament, McIlroy was part of a press conference in which he was asked about Tom McKibbin.
A young golfer linked to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, McKibbin is someone who McIlroy has known since the former was 10 years old. In the press conference, the four-time Major championship winner shared his thoughts on McKibbin and held the youngster in high regard.
Rory McIlroy said:
"Yeah, look, I have known Tom since he was 10 years old, 11 years old, and as soon as he got the offer, he rang me. I just landed in New Zealand. We had a really good conversation. And I talked to him multiple times over the course of December to sort of get a feel for, you know, what he was thinking, and obviously what -- you know, yeah, basically what he was going to do.
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"And all I could do is give my perspective. I really like Tom as a person, as a player. I think he's got a ton of potential. Look, I said to him, if I were in your shoes, I would make a different choice than the one you're thinking of making."
Further in the press conference, Rory McIlroy mentioned that if he were in Tom McKibbin's position, he would not have decided to join LIV Golf. As per McIlroy, if McKibbin joins the Saudi-backed Tour, he would be giving up on a lot for very little in return. However, the Irishman also added that the decision would completely be McKibbin's.
Rory McIlroy also said that Tom McKibbin was open to hearing him
Since the inception of LIV Golf, Rory McIlroy has been a very vocal critic of the Saudi-backed tournament. Hence, it's not surprising to see him not wanting Tom McKibbin to join LIV Golf. In the same press conference as above, McIlroy spoke about how McKibbin reacted to the advice the former had to offer.
The Irishman also added that whatever McKibbin chooses to do with his career, he will always have a fan in McIlroy. The latter also added that he will always help McKibbin and mentioned that he believes the youngster could be a top 10 player in the world.
Rory McIlroy said:
"No, very open. Very open to hearing my perspective and I appreciated him calling me to get it, as well. But again, as I said, at the end of the day, he has to make his own decision, and when he does, whatever way that goes, I'm always going to be a fan of his. I'm always going to try to help him in whatever way that I can.
"But you know, whatever way he chooses to go, you know, he's going to live with it, which is totally fine. I think we all see the potential that he has, and I definitely think he can be a Top-10 player in the world."
However, while mentioning Tom McKibbin's ability to be in the top 10, Rory McIlroy also added that if the former chooses to join LIV Golf, his ranking won't show. With advice from a veteran golfer like McIlroy, it will be interesting to see what McKibbin decides to do with his professional golf career.
