Dean Burmester took aim at Rory McIlroy after his recent comments questioning Jon Rahm’s desire to play in LIV Golf South Africa.
The Saudi backed tour is making its debut at Steyn City and with next year’s structure of the PGA Tour schedule up in the air, McIlroy questioned Rahm’s enthusiasm for wanting to travel to South Africa as part of his LIV contract.
“I’m sure Jon doesn’t want to go to South Africa next week, but he’s going there,” said the five-time major winner.
Burmester is one of the local heroes in the field this week and is T5 going into the final day with Branden Grace in 2nd as the look to hunt down Bryson DeChambeau. It was put to the South African in a press conference that he has generated support from the crowd on par with when McIlroy tees it up at an Irish Open, but he wasn’t in the mood for any comparisons.
“I think bringing up Rory here after his comments of South Africa is not a great idea,” Burmester said.
McIlroy was initially critical of Rahm for turning down what he felt was a very generous deal from the DP World Tour to retain his membership and eligibility for the Ryder Cup next year. But the Spaniard did not want to pay the fines that his Legion XIII teammates Tom McKibbin and Tyrrell Hatton coughed up.
“I mean, to retain your membership is four events on the DP World Tour outside of the major championships. And that to me doesn’t seem — yes, okay, maybe, you know, maybe the European Tour gets to have a say in where those two events are, but I mean, I’m sure Jon doesn’t want to go to South Africa next week, but he’s going there, McIlroy said two weeks ago.
“Yeah, he signed a contract for LIV and he plays 14 events and the whole thing. Like I get all that. But the DP World Tour is well within its rights to protect itself as a members organization and as a business. And if you asked any DP World Tour member about the deal that they have cut with the LIV guys they would, I think they would all say that it was pretty generous. So, and again, there’s a reason that eight of the nine took it, because they probably think the same thing, and one guy thinks a little differently, and that’s a shame.”
Earlier this month, Rahm withdrew his appeal against sanctions for playing LIV events without releases, with fines reportedly exceeding £2.25 million.
However, the two-time major champion will not accept the DP World Tour’s current terms to regain full membership.
“We keep trying to negotiate what the best outcome is,” Rahm told reporters after his third-round 64 in South Africa. “They offered a deal that I don’t think was right.”
Leave a comment