The feud between Sergio Garcia and his former Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy appears to be over, with the pair having apparently resolved their differences at the US Open.
Speaking ahead of Garcia's home LIV Golf event at Valderrama in Southern Spain, Garcia revealed he and McIlroy had enjoyed a "great conversation" during the US Open week.
Having been teammates on Europe's victorious 2021 Ryder Cup team, the pair were close friends until McIlroy spoke out about his opposition to LIV Golf, which Garcia had just joined.
READ MORE: Vaughan blasts England for bowling 'utter dross'
READ MORE: 'Brilliant and brave' former AFL commissioner dies
READ MORE: SVG's threat to ditch Supercars as USA looms large
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf announced a shock merger in early June – the details of which are still being worked out as a probe looks into just how the deal was made.
"I wish this would have happened a year and a half ago," Garcia said.
"To give you an example – it wasn't because of the merger, but the US Open was a great event for me. I feel like I played well, but more than anything because I gained a friend back, a friend that I kind of felt like I lost in the last year or so.
"We talked and we had a great conversation, and I feel like I have that friend back and that to me means a lot."
McIlroy finished second at the LA Country Club, a shot behind first-time major winner Wyndham Clark.
Garcia finished in a tie for 27th.
Garcia said their reconciliation was prompted after McIlroy had a friendly interaction with his wife.
"I had been thinking about it (rekindling the friendship) for a while but I wasn't totally sure," the 43-year-old said.
"But then I saw that reaction from him and it kind of gave me the incentive to get closer and we had a great chat.
"I think that at the end of the day, the important thing is that we got together and talked; we were two friends that wanted to get back to that spot.
"Like I said, no doubt it was the saddest part of all of this, these friendships turning sour."
A week after his second place at the US Open, McIlroy enjoyed another strong showing to finish in a tie for seventh at the Travellers Championship last weekend.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.