As one of the most vocal critics of the LIV Golf breakaway league, Rory McIlroy felt mentally drained at the end of last year and decided to put his clubs away for a few weeks.
“It’s been nice,” the top-ranked McIlroy said, “to try to take a little bit of time away, and try to sort of distance myself from the game of golf.”
Now he’s back and appears to be as fiery as ever.
McIlroy was on the driving range on Tuesday at the Dubai Desert Classic when he was approached by Patrick Reed, one of the high-profile players to have joined the exodus to the Saudi-backed series that changed the face of golf in 2022.
McIlroy said he was busy practicing and didn’t feel the need to acknowledge Reed.
“Patrick came up to say hello and I didn’t really want him to,” McIlroy said Wednesday.
McIlroy was asked about reports that the American threw a tee toward him. The four-time major winner said he didn’t see or feel anything.
”But apparently that’s what happened,” McIlroy said. “And if roles were reversed and I’d have thrown that tee at him, I’d be expecting him (to file) a lawsuit.”
That was a jibe by McIlroy, who said he was served a subpoena by Reed's lawyers on Christmas Eve. He didn’t provide specifics about the subpoena, but Reed last month refiled a defamation lawsuit.
It’s clear McIlroy is in no mood for reconciliation in Dubai.
“Of course, trying to have a nice time with my family and someone shows up on your doorstep and delivers that, you’re not going to take that well,” McIlroy said.
“So again, I’m living in reality, I don’t know where he’s living. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t expect a hello or a handshake.”
The Associated Press has contacted Reed about McIlroy's comments regarding their interaction Tuesday.
McIlroy was later asked if it would be beneficial to “fix your relationship” with another LIV rebel, Sergio Garcia, if it would help Europe’s cause ahead of this year’s Ryder Cup.
“No,” was the Northern Irishman’s blunt response.
The toll taken on McIlroy for effectively being an anti-LIV spokesman didn’t stop him returning to the top of the world ranking at the end of last year.
His last competitive tournament was the World Tour Championship, which was also in Dubai, in November.
McIlroy said the break gave him the opportunity to “recharge and reset and try to start 2023 with renewed optimism,” and he is back in the Middle East with some unfinished business.
In last year’s Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy was in a share of the lead after 71 holes but bogeyed the par-5 No. 18 on Sunday after hitting his second shot into the water in front of the green. He finished a shot behind Viktor Hovland and Richard Bland, and Hovland wound up winning a playoff.
“Wasn’t quite the way I wanted to finish it off,” McIlroy said. “But you know, I went on from that week and played really well and had a great year.”
McIlroy is a two-time winner of the event — in 2009, which was his first title as a pro at the age of 19, and in 2015 — and enjoys coming to this part of the world.
“I’ve been coming here for a long time, 17 years,” he said. “I’ve got a level of comfort here. I like starting my year here. I have a lot of friends. I called this place home for four years.”
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