LOS ANGELES: Rory McIlroy says he wouldn鈥檛 play golf again with President Donald Trump and doubts he would even be invited after questioning his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
McIlroy did an hour-plus interview for the McKellar Journal podcast in which he was asked whether he regretted the February 2017 round with Trump because of criticism on social media.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 done it since ... out of choice,鈥� McIlroy said.
McIlroy, the No. 1 player in the world, said three years ago he played with Trump out of respect for the office. He said on the podcast he enjoyed his day at Trump International in West Palm Beach, Florida. He says Trump was charismatic, personable and treated everyone well, from the the players in the group to the workers in the cart barn.
鈥淪o I will sit here and say that day I had with him I enjoyed,鈥� McIlroy said. 鈥淏ut that doesn鈥檛 mean I agree with everything 鈥� or, in fact, anything 鈥� that he says.鈥�
McIlroy continued, unprompted, by saying Trump has tried to politicize the pandemic, using as an example Trump claiming the US has administered the most tests for the new coronavirus than any other nation.
鈥淟ike it鈥檚 a contest,鈥� McIlroy said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 some stuff that just is terrible. It鈥檚 not the way a leader should act. There is a bit of diplomacy that you need to show, and I just don鈥檛 think he鈥檚 showing that, especially in these times.鈥�
The hosts, Scottish golf journalists Lawrence Donegan and John Huggan, asked McIlroy if he would play with Trump again.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if he鈥檇 want to play with me again after what I just said,鈥� McIlroy said. 鈥淚 know it鈥檚 very self-serving of me to say 鈥楴o,鈥� and if I don鈥檛, then it means I鈥檓 not putting myself in position to be under scrutiny and that I鈥檓 avoiding that.
鈥淏ut no, I wouldn鈥檛.鈥�
McIlroy returns to television on Sunday by teaming with Dustin Johnson in a Skins match against Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff, an exhibition designed to raise upward of $4 million for COVID-19 relief funds.