McIlroy "Uncomfortable"... LIV Visberger and Joint Round

Playing in a Group of Three at the Dubai Desert Classic 3R

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland, photo) is having an uncomfortable round.

On the 29th (local time), McIlroy will play alongside Bernd Wiesberger (Austria) and Dan Bradbury (England) in the third round of the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) Hero Dubai Desert Classic (total prize money $9 million) held at the Emirates Golf Club (par 72, 7,428 yards) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Among them, Wiesberger is a player affiliated with the LIV Golf Series, sponsored by Saudi Arabian capital.

McIlroy stayed with the PGA Tour, opposing LIV Golf’s aggressive recruitment of PGA Tour players backed by massive financial resources. Ahead of this tournament, when LIV Golf player Patrick Reed (USA) greeted him first at the practice range, McIlroy ignored him, which escalated into a 'personal conflict.'

The PGA Tour has banned LIV Golf players from participating in its tournaments, but the DP World Tour, which organizes this event, is giving LIV Golf players opportunities to compete. Besides Reed and Wiesberger, many LIV Golf players such as Henrik Stenson (Sweden), Abraham Ancer (Mexico), Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood (both England) also participated.

In the second round, McIlroy added 2-under par with one eagle, one birdie, and one bogey. Currently tied for 7th place, two strokes behind (8-under par 136), he is eyeing a comeback victory. McIlroy has accumulated 23 wins on the PGA Tour, including four major championships, and has also secured 14 wins on the DP World Tour.