How Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy Mended Their Relationship After LIV Golf

SOTOGRANDE, Spain — Outside of the obvious issues of money and power that occurred when LIV Golf started last June, there was also collateral damage that came from the upstart league’s entry into professional golf.

Over time, that damage manifested itself into hurt feelings and lost friendships. One of those lost bonds was between Sergio García and Rory McIlroy.

As Ryder Cup teammates and longtime friends, both said things they probably later regretted during the ongoing battle, but how could they look to erase the bad and move forward?

If not for a passing hello and some fortuitous text messages, the relationship between the Spaniard and Ulsterman would still be on the outs, but the two got together at the U.S. Open in Los Angeles and talked it out. It was clear from the smile on García’s face as he discussed their meeting that the Spaniard had found common ground with his friend again.

“I think that at the end of the day, the important thing is that we got together, we talked, we had a great conversation with two friends that wanted to get back to that spot,” García said on Wednesday at LIV Golf Andalucía. “And that's the most important thing.”

According to García, his wife Angela and McIlroy said hi to each other at the U.S. Open, and then McIlroy texted Angela—which García said was a nice message—and that gave him the go-ahead to reach out to McIlroy.

“I have been thinking about it for a while, but I wasn’t totally sure about it,” he said. “And when I saw that reaction from him, he kind of gave me the go-ahead to kind of get closer and we had a great chat.”

It was a stark change for the duo, who had little good to say about each other while the PGA Tour and LIV Golf were feuding. It was a war after all—and neither shied away from speaking their minds.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve got much of a relationship with them at the minute,” McIlroy said of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and García when asked at the BMW PGA Championship last September. “But if you’re just talking about Ryder Cup, they’re not the future of Europe’s team. Their best days are behind them. And (regarding their relationships) I haven’t done anything different. They are the ones that have made that decision. I can sit here and keep my head held high.”

In the end, both found their way back.

“It was a great event for me,” García said after finishing 27th at the U.S. Open. “Not only because of that. 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. That’s a very positive thing.”