McIlroy and Rahm ‘learned of LIV Golf merge on Twitter’ as golf star speaks out

American professional golfer, Sahith Theegala has reacted to the news of the merger agreed between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The deal has caught both fans and top 10 players, including the likes of Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, off-guard after an agreement was signed in the midst of an ongoing fued and litigation battle.

Theegala, 25, made his professional debut in June 2020 at the Outlaw Tour’s Lone Tree Classic. The Californian is on the PGA Tour and in a screenshot shared on Twitter, the American expressed his shock at the news of the merger.

The text message read: “Just craziness, I mean I’m sure there’s a reason for it but it’s not going to be a good enough reason for the utter lack of communication.

“I mean how are top10 players in the world finding out on twitter. But I’m biting my tongue til there’s more stuff we hear. No way players are gonne be ok with this”

Players in the top ten golf rankings include Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay.

It’s not the first time that Theegala has spoken out about the controversial Sauid-backed Liv Golf Tour. In an interview with Golf Monthly in 2022, when asked if he would choose between money and a chance to compete in the Majors, he said: “Oh, Majors for sure, not even close.

“OK, I don’t want to say like money isn’t a factor because anyone who says it isn’t a factor is lying. It’s a big factor. But I think if you asked a lot of the guys out here that truly – they do it to make money, but once you’ve kind of established yourself out here, you can make enough money playing golf on the PGA Tour and it’s not about that anymore for a lot of guys.”

According to Bartstool Sports, Theegala is not the only golfer who has been blind-sided by the news. Players have been left “shocked and confused” and “disgusted” that they weren’t told prior to the release.

The merger has come at an awkward time, just one week before the US Open is set to get underway at the Los Angeles Country Club. The merger could also have an effect on this year’s Ryder Cup. LIV golfers had their tour cards taken away from them previously but it remains to be seen how the new agreement will effect tournaments going forwards.