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Charles Barkley, who trash talked Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, said that he will be supporting the European team at the Ryder Cup. McIlroy is expected to be one of the leaders at the biennial tournament, which will take place in Rome next month.
During a press conference following the third round of the 2023 Tour Championship on Saturday, August 26, Barkley wished McIlroy luck for the Ryder Cup. He said (via Sky Sports):
"Good luck at the Ryder Cup."
The golfer was shocked by his remark and asked:
"You mean that? Do you really mean that?"
Charles replied:
"I really mean that. Hey, I don't pull for teams, I pull for guys like yourself."
Earlier that day during an interview with CBS host Amanda Renner, Charles Barkley joked about Rory McIlroy's back injury.
The Northern Irish golfer injured his back earlier on Tuesday, August 22, and was not at full strength throughout the Tour Championship. On Saturday, though, he still had a lot of speed as he shot 1-over par 71.
Barkley, who was with CBS commentators that day for an interview, spoke about McIlroy's injury, saying:
"I think you're faking it."
The 2023 Tour Championship has concluded with three rounds and the final will take place on Sunday, August 27.
Injured Rory McIlroy shocks fans with a gigantic drive at the 2023 Tour Championship
Despite his injury, the Northern Irish golfer stunned his supporters on Saturday, August 26, with a ridiculous 393-yard drive on the 14th hole of East Lake Golf Club. The 34-year-old golfer's back went into spasm when he was exercising at home earlier this week.
Speaking of his injury, McIlroy said via BBC:
"I can't hit the ball left-to-right and -- yeah, I can't swing my irons the way I want to. I can't turn my right side through the ball. So from the top of the swing, I'm just sort of throwing my arms at it and it's a lot of face rotation and I can only really hit it one way with the irons.
"I can't hit the driver the way I usually do. Like, teeing it up I'm teeing it down and just hitting a sort of flat little runner down there. So, yeah, look, a little limited to the shots that I can hit, but I'm getting by," he added.
McIlroy struggled with his game in the first round of the 2023 Tour Championship. He looked visibly uncomfortable in the first two rounds of the tournament. However, his injury didn't stop him from hitting a gigantic shot in the third round.
He made two birdies and three bogeys on Saturday to settle for a total of nine under par 208. McIlroy finished in a three-way tie for eighth place with Adam Schenk and Patrick Cantlay.
Rory McIlroy will tee off on Sunday, August 27, at 12:56 pm ET with Adam Schenk. The fourth round of the tournament will start at 10:56 am ET and the final group will tee off at 1:40 pm ET.
