Asked about the prospect of battling a LIV player in the final round on Sunday, McIlroy said: "I'll be trying to win a golf tournament regardless. They are going to be pretty tired on Sunday - it will be the fourth day!"
Wednesday 7 September 2022 18:08, UK
Rory McIlroy has likened the interest in LIV Golf to a “soap opera” and admits the relationship with several of his Ryder Cup team-mates has been damaged by them joining the breakaway circuit.
McIlroy said after last month's FedExCup victory he would find seeing members of the Saudi-funded Tour competing at this week's BMW PGA Championship "hard to stomach", with 17 of their players - including 15 from the latest event in Boston - due to feature at Wentworth.
Five members of Europe's beaten Ryder Cup team at Whistling Straits last year have joined LIV Golf, of which four - Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Bernd Wiesberger - are in the field for the DP World Tour's flagship event.
Asked if his relationship with Poulter, Westwood and Garcia specifically could survive, McIlroy said: "I have no idea. I wouldn't say I've got much of a relationship with them at the minute.
"They are here and are playing the golf tournament. My opinion is they shouldn't be, but again that's just my opinion. But if you're just talking about Ryder Cup, that's not the future of the Ryder Cup team. They've played in probably a combined 25, 30 Ryder Cups, whatever it is.
"The Hojgaards (Rasmus and Nicolai), Bobby Mac (Robert MacIntyre), whoever else is coming up - they are the future of the Ryder Cup team. That's what we should be thinking about and talking about."
McIlroy joked in his pre-tournament press conference Q-School would be the only way for LIV rebels to get back onto the traditional tours if they wanted to, with the four-time major champion convinced the golfing world is more interested in the controversy of LIV than the events themselves.
"It's incredibly divisive and does it bring more eyeballs on to golf? Probably, because people are interested in the soap opera of it all, but that's not golf," McIlroy added.
"The most interesting thing about LIV is the rumours and who is going and who is not going. It's not the golf right now. It might be at some stage, but right now it's the rumour mill that's fuelling it.
"So when you come back here and you play DP World Tour or PGA Tour, you're watching the golf and you're watching who is going to win tournaments and have context and mean something. That's why I'm speaking up."
Shane Lowry is among the players in action this week looking to make a fast start to Ryder Cup qualification, although the Irishman remains angered by the LIV players who have been allowed to feature.
"There are certain guys I just can't stand being here to be honest," Lowry told Sky Sports News. "I don't like it that they are here. I think to be honest, the one thing that has really annoyed me over the last few months is how disruptive they are all trying to be, and then to -- get here and get world ranking points and do that, I think in a way they are here for that and to be disruptive.
"I don't think they are here for anything else. Obviously, they are here for world ranking points somewhat, but they are here to be disruptive and I don't like it. It's the BMW PGA Championship and BMW have been so good to us over the years.
"It [LIV Golf[ is all we are standing here talking about and I feel like we should be talking about how great Wentworth is and how big the tournament and how these guys are here and doesn't deserve to be.
"To be honest if I put myself in those guys' shoes, would I be here this week? No, it's too uncomfortable for me. It is what it is. Like I said it's the BMW PGA Championship, the biggest event in Europe and we would be talking about that and we are not. It's disappointing."
Watch the BMW PGA Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Thursday with Featured Groups from 8.30am on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from midday.
