McIlroy: Saudi, PGA Tour deal 'good for golf'

Rory McIlroy on Wednesday welcomed the PGA Tour's shock merger with the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf but said rebel players who joined the upstart circuit should not be granted an automatic return to the sport.

Northern Ireland star McIlroy, one of the staunchest critics of LIV Golf, said while he still seethed with "hatred" towards the upstart circuit, he believed Tuesday's deal would secure the financial future of the sport.

"I think ultimately, when I try to remove myself from the situation and I look at the bigger picture and I look at 10 years down the line, I think ultimately this is going to be good for the game of professional golf," McIlroy said.

"It unifies it and it secures its financial future."

McIlroy was speaking on the eve of this week's PGA Canadian Open in Toronto in his first comments since Tuesday's bombshell agreement was revealed.

Under the new deal, the PGA Tour and Europe's DP World Tour said they had signed an agreement with LIV's Saudi backers that will lead to "a new collectively owned, for-profit entity."

The dramatic volte face comes after more than a year of bitter acrimony throughout golf that has torn at the fabric of the sport.

McIlroy is widely reported to have turned down an offer in the region of $400 million to switch to LIV but on Wednesday denied ever receiving a bid for his services.

"I was never offered any money," McIlroy said.

The Northern Irishman, however, said he understood anger from fellow professionals against PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan -- but insisted he still had confidence in the under-fire tour chief.

"I've dealt with Jay a lot closer than a lot of those guys have," McIlroy said.

"From where we were a couple of weeks ago to where we are today, I think the future of the