Sergio Garcia has blamed Rory McIlroy’s lack of maturity for ending the pair’s long-time friendship.
The former Ryder Cup teammates had become close friends on Tour but that all ended when Garcia revealed to McIlroy that he would be joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league in time for its first event in London last June.
With McIlroy perhaps the most vocal player of all against LIV, Garcia, not liking what he was hearing, even texted the Northern Irishman to quit with the constant criticism: ‘Basically telling me to shut up about LIV, blah, blah, blah’,” McIlroy told Paul Kimmage, promptly deleting the Spaniard’s number from his phone.
Now Garcia, in an interview with The Telegraph’s James Corrigan on Thursday, has expressed his sadness about how things have ended between the pair, though it’s clear who he blames for the split.
“I think it is very sad,” Garcia said. “I think that we’ve done so many things together and had so many experiences that for him to throw that away just because I decided to go to a different tour, well, it doesn’t seem very mature; lacking maturity, really.”
Garcia claims to have no issue with McIlroy’s decision to stay loyal to the PGA and DP World Tours but believes his own decision to join LIV wasn’t treated with the same level of respect and acceptance.
“Rory’s got his own life and he makes his own choices, the same way that I make mine. I respect his choice, but it seems like he doesn’t respect the ones I make. So a one-way street,” Garcia added.
Garcia has yet to rule out the possibility of sharing a team room with McIlroy later this year at the Ryder Cup in Rome but it’s hard to envisage such a scenario playing out, with McIlroy describing his relationship with LIV players last September as practically non-existent.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve got much of a relationship with them at the minute,” he said.
“Their best days are behind them. I haven’t done anything different. They are the ones that have made that decision. I can sit here and keep my head held high.”
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