Sergio Garcia reacts to Rory McIlroy LIV Golf U-turn amid PGA peace talks
Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy's relationship has been tested by LIV Golf, but the Northern Irishman appears to have had a change of heart.
Sergio Garcia has praised Rory McIlroy's shift in stance towards LIV Golf as tensions within the sport appear to subside.
Once close friends and Ryder Cup team-mates, the relationship between McIlroy and Garcia was strained when the latter chose to depart from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to join the LIV setup.
The Northern Irishman positioned himself as one of the most vocal critics of the breakaway tour, previously condemning the decision taken by Garcia and others.
However, just over two years later, McIlroy seems to have altered his view on the Saudi-backed league, with the PGA Tour currently in talks with LIV chiefs about a potential peace agreement.
"I think it's great," Garcia told Golf Magic regarding McIlroy's softening attitude towards LIV Golf.
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"I think at the end of the day it shows we're all very emotional and we try to defend our positions and stuff like that, but at the end of the day, it shows we all want to go in the same direction and make golf better.
"That's the most important thing. Rory has seen that, he realises that trying to fight each other is not going to help anyone, and it's definitely not going to help the game."
McIlroy's change of heart seemed to be confirmed at last week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship where he played alongside LIV chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the Pro-Am event.
On the inaugural day of the golf event, where Al-Rumayyan was accompanied by PGA Tour commissioner and fellow negotiator, Jay Monahan, McIlroy was observed engaging cheerfully with the Saudi leader at the driving range their conversation picked up again on the following day as they ambled along the course.
Garcia, having witnessed this rapport between the influential figures in Scotland's verdant greens, said: "I hope it's moving closer [to unification]. I don't know exactly what they talked about last week but yeah I hope it went well."
"I think that's the goal for everyone. I wish it had happened a while back, but you know, everyone has their own agendas in a way and the way they want things to happen.
"But look, it's good, they [Monahan and Al-Rumayyan] are sitting, they are talking, it's a good start and hopefully we will hear something soon."
McIlroy, equally aligned with the LIV-PGA merger, shared similar sentiments last week: "There's no better place than the home of golf to try and get everyone together and talking.
"I think it's a great thing and a good sign that Jay and Yasir are going to play together on Thursday, and you've got quite a big contingent from LIV that are playing this event."
"It's a matter of trying to get all the different constituents on board because I think the sponsors want the same thing. I think everyone just wants to see the game of golf come back together and have all of the best players playing together.
"And try to make it a bit more global, as well. I think there are a lot of people on board with that and it's just a matter of trying to work through the various sort of complicated issues that there are to try to get it done."
