“Welcome to LIV”; “Gotta collect that appearance fee” – Fans troll Rory McIlroy for committing to Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Fans on social media have reacted to Rory McIlroy's scheduled participation in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. The Northern Irish golfer will be playing at the tournament this November at Yas Links.

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, an annual European Tour event typically held at Yas Links, is organized by IMG, an American global sports brand. However, as McIlroy generally plays on the PGA Tour, his commitment to this European Tour event in the UAE has sparked speculation among fans that the World No. 2 is considering joining LIV Golf.

Nuclr Golf shared the news about Rory McIlroy's commitment to the European Tour event on its X account (formerly Twitter).

"#NEW: Rory McIlroy has committed to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this November at Yas Links. @TrackingRory."

Fans took to the comments section to troll Rory McIlroy, suggesting he might consider joining LIV Golf.

"Welcome to LIV Rory. no frogs allowed," wrote a fan.

Some fans even commented that McIlroy might receive an appearance fee for the tournament, possibly poking fun at LIV Golf events, which do not have a cut line, and all players competing are guaranteed prize money.

"Gotta collect that appearance fee," commented another fan.

"So Rory gets an appearance fee aka guaranteed money with a purse derived of blood money. I’ll be damned," jotted another fan.

"Good bye Nuclr , Rory , liV and all The Saudi lovers," wrote another fan.

Here are more fan reactions:

Fans reactions (Image via X/@NUCLRGOLF)

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Rory McIlroy reportedly offered $850 million to join LIV Golf, but the golfer denied the claims

Earlier this year, a report surfaced about Rory McIlroy potentially joining LIV Golf. It claimed he had been offered a staggering $850 million contract and equity stake in the Saudi Circuit.

However, the Northern Irish golfer firmly denied these claims in a statement to the Golf Channel. McIlroy expressed surprise on hearing about the rumors. He assured everyone he sees his future rooted in the PGA Tour and will compete on the circuit throughout his career.

McIlroy stated (via ESPN):

"It's never even been a conversation for us. It's unfortunate we have to deal with it, and this is the state our game is in. I'm obviously here and going to the PGA Tour event next week, and I'll play the PGA Tour the rest of my career."

In 2024, McIlroy participated in two DP World Tour events, winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and finishing as the runner-up at the Dubai Invitational. On the PGA Tour in 2024, he has claimed victories at the Zurich Classic and the Wells Fargo Championship.

He last played at the 2024 US Open but missed a shot on the final hole, finishing in second place at the Major.