Rory McIlroy

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy has hit back at comments from Phil Mickelson and accused LIV Golf of pushing propaganda.

Speaking ahead of the defence of his CJ Cup, McIlroy said: 'I don’t agree with what Phil said. The 33-year-old has disputed comments from golf legend and LIV Golf star Mickelson, who recently claimed that he sees 'LIV Golf trending upwards' and 'the PGA Tour trending downwards'. Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy has hit back at comments from Phil Mickelson and accused LIV Golf of pushing its own propaganda.

RORY McILROY dismissed Phil Mickelson's suggestion that the PGA Tour was 'trending downwards' as 'LIV propaganda'.Mickelson, who joined the Saudi-back.

"I love the way they involve us and listen to us in decisions. I love the way they treat us. I love the experience. "I feel like that’s the cool part of it and that’s the journey that I’ve sort of been through over the past 12 months.” "It sort of illustrates you can have your runs and you can stay there, but I think the cool part is the journey and the journey getting back there. The 44-year-old continued: "And I see LIV Golf trending upwards, I see the PGA Tour trending downwards and I love the side that I'm on.

Rory McIlroy has hit back at Phil Mickelson after the LIV Golf player had dissed the PGA Tour in a recent interview, saying it was 'trending downwards.'

And I see LIV Golf trending upwards, I see the PGA Tour trending downwards and I love the side that I'm on.' "I think going forward you have to pick a side," Phil Mickelson had stated last Thursday. I certainly don’t see the PGA Tour trending downwards at all.

Shane Lowry is just two strokes further back after his first round in South Carolina.

I think I was alluding to it yesterday in the press conference. No matter what you achieve in this game, you’re having to constantly reset your goals and reframe your mindset. There’s definitely no lack of that.”

Shane Lowry also goes bogey-free with a 68 to be well positioned after first round.

“Where the [FedEx Cup] playoffs feel like a long time ago, the Masters feels like a long way away, so you kind of feel like you’re in no-man’s land. “I kind of lose a bit of motivation to compete a little bit this time of year. Sometimes I take it back and my right arm and elbow starts getting behind me, so trying to get it more sort of online in front of me.

At the 170-yard par-3 fifth, McIlroy hit a tee shot 173 yards at the green, setting himself up for the 13-foot putt for birdie. This moved McIlroy to 2 under ...

This moved McIlroy to 4 under for the round. This moved McIlroy to 2 under for the round. This moved Rory McIlroy to 1 under for the round.

McIlroy can return to the top of the rankings for the first time since July 2020 by winning his 23rd PGA Tour event at Congaree Golf Club in South Carolina, the ...

Defending champion Rory McIlroy fires an opening five-under-par 66 which puts him one off the early clubhouse pace at the CJ Cup.

World number one Scheffler was one under after 10, with US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick carding an opening 70. Defending champion Rory McIlroy fired an opening five-under-par 66 which put him one off the early clubhouse pace at the CJ Cup in South Carolina. Rory McIlroy: World number two one off early CJ Cup pace after opening 66

RORY McILROY remembers the feeling of becoming the world's best golfer in 2012.And the Holywood man is keen on recapturing that feeling by retaining t.

“I maybe don’t keep as much of a close eye on it as I used to, but still it’s a point of pride for all of us out there to be highly ranked and to get to number one in the world at whatever you do is an unbelievable accolade and something that you should be proud of. “Obviously I have a chance to do it this week, but I’m proud of the fact that I’ve at least given myself a chance again because (when) we were coming back from the lockdown in July 2020 I feel like my game and my life has changed considerably since then, so it’s nice to have the opportunity again.” "I feel like that’s the cool part of it and that’s the journey that I’ve sort of been through over the past 12 months.” “It’s sort of like a heavyweight boxer losing a world title and it’s a journey to get that title back. "It sort of illustrates you can have your runs and you can stay there, but I think the cool part is the journey and the journey getting back there. He remembered: “It had been a goal of mine for maybe six months up until that point but I remember waking up the next morning and being like, is this it?

The Northern Irishman shot 5-under in his opening round.

Four-time major champion McIlroy has fond memories of the CJ Cup and is the defending champion having edged out Collin Morikawa by a single stroke last year. Waterford native Seamus Power shot the same score and is also hovering just outside the top ten. The recent winner at Wentworth shot 69 for an opening round score of 3-under par. McIlroy is currently tied for third and is just one shot off joint leaders Gary Woodland and Trey Mullinax The 2022 FedEX Cup Champion can reclaim the World Number One spot from Scottie Scheffler with victory this week, an honour he has achieved on eight different occasions in the past. Two more birdies followed for McIlroy on his back nine.

Seamus Power and Shane Lowry are also in action in South Carolina.

Shane Lowry was the first of the Irish in action today and shot three birdies on his way to an opening round 68 which leaves him on three-under. Seamus Power is a further shot back after shooting a 67, the highlight of which was an eagle on the par-five 12th. The defending champion hit five birdies – including three in a row on the front nine– in a bogey-free round which left him on five-under-par, hot on the heels of American pair Trey Mullinax and Gary Woodland, who lead the chasing pack by one shot.

South Korean sensation Tom Kim was picking Rory's brain during the opening round at Conagree Golf Club, where the two both shot five-under 66s to quickly ...

1 in the world at whatever you do is an unbelievable accolade and something that you should be proud of.” The easy conversation seemed to help McIlroy, making his first PGA Tour start since winning the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup title in August, relax as well considering the stakes this week in South Carolina. "I was like, ‘no no, no, no,’ " McIlroy said. Not even McIlroy appreciated how well he was hitting it off the tee. During the round, the first in which they’ve been paired on the PGA Tour, the 20-year-old Kim took advantage of playing with the tour veteran, picking McIlroy’s brain on various topics. Indeed, McIlroy was driving it as good as he ever has.

Phil Mickelson, who joined LIV for a huge contract, said the PGA Tour is trending downwards at a time when LIV is on the rise, but Rory McIlroy has dismissed that as propaganda. Jon Rahm has also echoed McIlroy's comments about Mickelson.

I truly don't know what drove him to say something like that." "I don't agree with what Phil said last week," McIlroy said ahead of his defence of the CJ Cup. "Man, I love Phil, but I don't know what he's talking about," Rahm said. You've got people like Tom Kim coming through [who is] the future of our game." "I think there's a ton of propaganda being used and all sorts of stuff. And I love how I feel.”

RIDGELAND, S.C. – Rory McIlroy was not in a waiting mood as he stood fidgeting on the tee at the par-4 15th hole at Congaree Golf Club, site of THE CJ CUP ...

Like, sit?’ It was like 380, but he almost made it.”McIlroy and Kim during Round 1 of THE CJ CUP in South Carolina. Seeing the lines he took, and it was like 380 (yards) to the runout and he was saying, ‘Sit.’ I was like, ‘Really? It was hard not to be a spectator. Thursday, outside of a wild opening tee shot, there was little to fault in his game. – Rory McIlroy was not in a waiting mood as he stood fidgeting on the tee at the par-4 15th hole at Congaree Golf Club, site of THE CJ CUP in South Carolina. “He makes this game look so easy,” said Kim, who was impressive in his own right. McIlroy unleashed a mighty swing and launched a moonshot that scoffed at the 320 yards it needed to cover the gaping bunker, his ball then pounding firm turf and scooting between a greenside bunker and a golf bag before finally stopping on the front of the green. I think that was the big thing.” There are few things in golf as feared as McIlroy when he is armed with a hot driver and a belly filled with confidence. He was in tears. Whether they were on the green or not, I had to go.” After the group teed off at 16, McIlroy would walk up and apologize.

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry will have no problem motivating themselves after making bogey-free starts in the CJ Cup in South Carolina.

No matter what you achieve in this game, you’re having to constantly reset your goals and reframe your mindset. There’s definitely no lack of that.” I think I was alluding to it yesterday in the press conference.

Tom Kim felt as much a spectator as a player Thursday in the CJ Cup, amazed at how Rory McIlroy produces so much power with so little effort.

He was tied for the lead until pulling his tee shot on the 18th, having to play short of the water and missing an 8-foot par putt. “He was never going to fly it on the green,” Thomas said. It was a good day for so many in the 78-man field, starting with Mullinax and Woodland. Jordan Spieth had a 75 with a round that included a triple bogey and a putt he missed from 16 inches. “He didn’t really miss a shot out there,” McIlroy said. “It was never going to hit us. “Whether they were on the green or not, I had to go.” He hit his drive just onto the front of the green, even as Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas in the group ahead were putting. One example was the par-5 fourth hole, where McIlroy hit a 360-yard drive that bounded along the firm, wide fairway, and belted a fairway metal just through the green. “It was really hard to just kind of play my own game sometimes, seeing the lines he took. It was like 380 [yards] to the runout and he was saying, ‘Sit!’ I was like, ‘Really? McIlroy and Kim, who played together in the same group with Rickie Fowler, were among six another shot back at 66.

Congaree had a great showing in Round 1 as the hunt for the biggest fall event is underway.

They constituted one of the better groups on Thursday, shooting a combined 10 under to get into the top five on the leaderboard. Both put together scores mostly with the putter on Thursday, but both have top 10s in one of their last two starts. It's not a situation that needs to be monitored, but you would like to see Spieth get off to a better start to his 2022-23 season than T73 in a 78-player field. Regardless, they're the two we'll focus on as we take a look at what happened on Thursday at the biggest PGA Tour event of the fall in the CJ Cup. However, he missed the cut at each of the first two events this season, and I rarely trust a hot putter. He won the Barbasol Championship and finished in the top 15 in two FedEx Cup Playoff events. Aaron Wise lost strokes off the tee, around the green and with his putter. With the caliber of horses just outside of the top spot, I'm also dubious about his chances to pull off what would be his first victory since the 2019 U.S. He's currently -5 and T3 at the CJ Cup. Woodland summed it up well (and succinctly): "I had all three aspect of driving, ball-striking, putting going on, and it was a good day," he said. Just about everything one would want from a big-time golf tournament was in play Thursday during Round 1 of the 2022 CJ Cup. One player hit his irons better than nearly anyone in the last two decades.

Rory McIlroy finished one shot behind the lead at the first round of the CJ Cup golf tournament at Congaree Golf Club in South Carolina on Thursday.

He had a 74. South Korea’s Tom Kim went birdie-for-birdie with McIlroy for much of the day, with the 20-year-old ultimately finishing on 67, one shot behind the Northern Irishman. Rory McIlroy finished one shot behind the lead at the first round of the CJ Cup golf tournament at Congaree Golf Club in South Carolina on Thursday.

Rory McIlroy and Tom Kim were the star attractions Thursday at the CJ Cup, finishing the opening round a shot back of leaders Trey Mullinax and Gary ...

[Scottie Scheffler](https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/9478/scottie-scheffler), the No. [Jordan Spieth](https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/5467/jordan-spieth) had a 75 with a round that included a triple bogey and a putt he missed from 16 inches. 1 in the world for the ninth time in his career, and he was off to a good start with a bogey-free round. He was tied for the lead until pulling his tee shot on the 18th, having to play short of the water and missing an 8-foot par putt. "He was never going to fly it on the green," Thomas said. It was a good day for so many in the 78-man field, starting with Mullinax and Woodland. "He didn't really miss a shot out there," McIlroy said. McIlroy and Kim, who played together in the same group with [Rickie Fowler](https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/3702/rickie-fowler), were among those another shot back at 66. "Whether they were on the green or not, I had to go." It was like 380 [yards] to the runout and he was saying, 'Sit!' I was like, 'Really? He hit his drive just onto the front of the green, even as One example was the par-5 fourth hole, where McIlroy hit a 360-yard drive that bounded along the firm, wide fairway, and belted a fairway metal just through the green.