Rory McIlroy breaks LIV Golf silence by teaming up with Jon Rahm in practice

Rory McIlroy, after a three-week break from competition, returned to the golf course on Monday. He participated in the exclusive pro-member event at Queenwood Golf Club, playing alongside Jon Rahm and Ian Poulter.

McIlroy’s last competitive appearance was at last month’s US Open, where he narrowly missed out on his first major championship win in 10 years.

With just five holes remaining at the third flagship event of the year, McIlroy held a two-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse.

Three bogeys in his final four holes, including two short missed putts, saw McIlroy lose his lead. This allowed DeChambeau to swoop in and claim victory at Pinehurst No. 2 by a single shot.

Following this, the four-time major winner decided to take a three-week break from competing. He will return to defend his Scottish Open title at The Renaissance Club on Thursday.

To prepare himself for the tournament, McIlroy entered the annual pro-member at Queenwood on Monday, according to Golf Monthly.

He was joined in the field by both Rahm and Poulter, who have been close allies of McIlroy before deciding to join LIV Golf. McIlroy, who has played alongside both Rahm and Poulter as part of the European Ryder Cup team, has previously been one of LIV’s biggest critics.

The 35-year-old has recently softened his stance on the Saudi-backed series, a move that Poulter welcomed. “I feel bad for Rory,” he told Gulf News in February.

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“His beliefs and the information that he was given that led him to make those comments were obviously potentially slightly misleading, right?

“Therefore, he’s in an awkward position because, now all of a sudden, it doesn’t look as good as it was. But listen, I don’t need to single Rory out, everyone knows who everyone is that has said certain things.

“I don’t need to individually call anyone out in this business as everyone knows. When you’re going to speak out against something yet demand a certain amount of money to move across and then you didn’t, but bash the product, you better be careful.”

McIlroy’s relaxed approach came after he saw one of his key teammates in Rahm make the move last December, after the Spaniard signed a record-breaking deal worth a reported $550 million. Following the high-profile switch, McIlroy called for a change in the Ryder Cup rules to allow Rahm to compete at Bethpage Black next September.

“Jon is going to be in Bethpage in 2025 so, because of this decision, the tour are going to have to rewrite the rules for Ryder Cup eligibility, absolutely,” McIlroy told Sky Sports News.”

“There’s no question about that. I certainly want Jon Rahm on the next Ryder Cup team.

“I’m going to miss competing against him week in and week out. He’s got so much talent, he’s so tenacious, he’s a great teammate in the Ryder Cup.”

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