Rory McIlroy Slams ‘Ignorant’ Phil Mickelson Over Saudi Golf League Comments

No, Rory McIlroy won’t be joining the Saudi golf league over the PGA Tour. And he was fed up with Phil Mickelson’s latest comments on the matter.

When speaking to reporters earlier in the week, Mickelson drew heavy criticism for admitting to getting into business with bad people because he was fed up with the PGA Tour.

“They’re scary m—–f—— to get involved with,” Mickelson said in an interview that appeared in the Fire Pit Collective website and that will be part of a forthcoming book written by Shipnuck, “Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar.”

“We know they killed (Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal) Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights,” he said. “They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape how the PGA Tour operates.”

After hearing Phil Mickelson’s comments, Rory McIlroy laid into the PGA legend.

“I don’t want to kick someone while he’s down obviously, but I thought they were naïve, selfish, egotistical, ignorant,” McIlroy told reporters at the Genesis Invitational. “A lot of words to describe that interaction he had with Shipnuck. It was just very surprising and disappointing, sad. I’m sure he’s sitting at home sort of rethinking his position and where he goes from here.”

Like Rory McIlroy, players such as Patrick Cantlay, Colin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, and even Tiger Woods distanced themselves from Phil Mickelson when announcing they were staying with the PGA Tour for the long haul.

At the end of the day, Mickelson was a great player — who did a lot of great things for the tour during his illustrious career. But at 55 years old, it would simply not be the end of the world if he leaves the PGA Tour for this seemingly sketchy Saudi league.

We know Rory McIlroy won’t be bothered if Phil Mickelson leaves…

Welcome to the game outside the game! Follow us on our Sideaction Twitter handle, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest on sports and pop culture news across the web!