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Rory McIlroy Issues Stark Warning To Tom McKibbin Over LIV Golf Offer

Rory McIlroy Issues Stark Warning To Tom McKibbin Over LIV Golf Offer
Eoin Harrington
By Eoin Harrington Updated
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Rory McIlroy confirmed he has spoken to fellow County Down man Tom McKibbin, after the youngster was offered a deal to join Jon Rahm's team in the breakaway LIV Golf series.

The shock news of McKibbin's potential move broke last week, with BBC Northern Ireland reporting that the 22-year-old was set to join the Legion XIII team alongside Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.

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McKibbin, who, like McIlroy, hails from Holywood in County Down, had just recently secured his PGA Tour card for 2025, in news that brought congratulations from McIlroy and Shane Lowry. The youngster had publicly spoken of his excitement to play regularly on the Stateside tour but the recent links with LIV have thrown doubt on the likelihood of this playing out.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's Dubai Desert Classic, Rory McIlroy confirmed that he had spoken to his compatriot and warned him that he could be "sacrificing" his massive potential in the game of golf should he go through with the move to LIV.

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Rory McIlroy responds to rumours of Tom McKibbin's LIV Golf move

An infamous and vigorous opponent of LIV Golf from its inception, it was only natural that Rory McIlroy would be asked to comment on the links between Tom McKibbin and the Saudi-backed series when he faced the media in Dubai this week.

McIlroy confirmed that he had spoken to McKibbin on the matter almost immediately after his counterpart received a formal offer from LIV. The four-times Major champion said that he and McKibbin had conversed "multiple times" and that he had advised McKibbin not to make the move.

I've known Tom since he was...I don't know, 10 or 11 years old?

As soon as he got the offer, he rang me. I'd just landed in New Zealand and we had a really good conversation. I talked to him multiple times over the course of December to get a feel for what he was thinking and what he was going to do.

All I could do was give my perspective. I really like Tom as a person, as a player, I think he's got a ton of potential.

I said to him, 'If I were in your shoes, I would make a different choice than the one you're thinking of making.'

Delving deeper into the matter, McIlroy confirmed that he did not believe a deal had yet been struck for McKibbin to join the breakaway series.

The 35-year-old then laid out why he felt a move to LIV would be a mistake for the highly-rated prospect, warning that McKibbin could be throwing away his shot at playing at Majors or the Ryder Cup or even realising his potential of being one of the best golfers in the world.

Working so hard to get your tour card in the States, that's something he really did to achieve that goal last year, it was a big achievement.

I think what he potentially is sacrificing and giving up with access to Majors, a potential Ryder Cup spot...I don't think anything's official yet but if I were in his position and I had his potential - which I think I have been before - I would not make that decision. But I'm not him, I'm not in his shoes.

I just feel like he's giving up a lot to not really benefit that much, you know?

I'm always going to be a fan of his, I'm always going to try and help him in whatever way I can.

We all see the potential that he has. I think he can definitely be a top ten player in the world but obviously his ranking won't show that for the next couple of years if he makes one decision over another.

McIlroy further said that he had faith in McKibbin to make the right call for himself.

It's a stark warning from Rory McIlroy, but it is clear that he has put his arm around his younger counterpart as he faces the biggest decision yet of his golfing career.

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This weekend will see McIlroy defend the Dubai Desert Classic crown, hoping to claim the trophy for a third successive year and fifth time overall. He tees off for the first round on Thursday morning at 4:05am Irish time.

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