McIlroy fears 'irreparable' split as Mickelson says LIV 'not going away'

World number one Rory McIlroy has said the divide between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf risks becoming "irreparable" but six-times major winner Phil Mickelson, one of the leading players on the Saudi-backed circuit has insisted the new competition is now a "force in the game".

The LIV series concludes at Doral, near Miami, this weekend with a team championship featuring eye-watering multi-millions as prize money but the animosity the breakaway has caused has left McIlroy worried for the game.

"This 'us versus them' thing has gotten way out of control already," McIlroy said in an interview with British newspaper The Guardian on Wednesday.

"If the two entities keep doubling down in both directions, it is only going to become irreparable. We are going to have a fractured sport for a long time. That is no good for anyone," said the Northern Irishman, who returned to the top of golf's world rankings with victory in the CJ Cup on Sunday.

Mickelson, speaking at the press conference for the LIV event, said he did not want to distract from the tournament at the Blue Monster course by responding directly to McIlroy's comments but he said the breakaway was now part of the golf scene.

"If I'm just looking at LIV Golf and where we are today to where we were six, seven months ago and people are saying this is dead in the water, and we're past that, and here we are today, a force in the game that's not going away," he said.

Sitting on a platform with British Open winner Cameron Smith, former Masters winner Bubba Watson and English Ryder Cup favourite Ian Poulter, Mickelson said the quality of talent in the LIV series was "moving professional golf throughout the world and (creating an) excitement level in the countries around the world".

"It's