"He's angering me right now!" PGA Tour anlayst rips into Rory McIlroy after latest comments

Golf Channel analyst and three-time PGA Tour winner Johnson Wagner has slammed Rory McIlroy over his latest comments about LIV Golf at this week's Genesis Invitational. 

Despite once being a heavy critic of all things LIV Golf, McIlroy, 35, held his hands up earlier this week and admitted the world's best PGA Tour players are now all playing for huge $20m prize purses in the Signature Events as a result of the emergence of LIV Golf in 2022.

"Like for me, we've all done better from all of this," said McIlroy of the Saudi-bankrolled LIV Golf League. 

"Whether you stayed on the PGA Tour or you left, we have all benefited from this.

"I've been on the record saying this a lot, like we're playing for a $20 million prize fund this week. That would have never happened if LIV hadn't have come around."

McIlroy went further by saying his peers "have just got to get over it" and "if people are butt hurt or have their feelings hurt because guys went to LIV Golf or whatever, like who cares?"

The Northern Irishman then added his own personal bank balance has been inflated as a result of LIV Golf. 

Although LIV Golf and Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has no direct involvement in all things PGA Tour (yet), the American circuit has benefited hugely in recent years from new investment in the game courtesy of the Strategic Sports Group (SSG). 

Signature Events on the PGA Tour now see players compete for inflated $20m prize pots with up to $4m going to the winner - just as the case is on LIV Golf League events. 

McIlroy added: "I look at what I made in 2019 before LIV came around and I look at what I've made after LIV came around and it's very different.

"Like I don't know what to say, I earn more money now than I did in 2019 and if LIV hadn't have come around, I don't know if I would have been able to say that."

Since the arrival of LIV Golf, McIlroy has vaulted into a clear third place in PGA Tour on-course earnings with a whopping $94.5m.

The World No.3 is now just $2m away from moving past LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson into second place.

Given the amount of money McIlroy is playing for on the PGA Tour right now, that will likely happen before The Masters. 

Tiger Woods remains out in front in the all-time money list just a few cents short of $121m. 

But back to the top of the story, and three-time PGA Tour winner and Golf Channel analyst Johnson Wagner, 44, is absolutely fuming with McIlroy's latest comments.

Scroll down for Wagner's explosive rant...

While yes, the inauguration of LIV Golf in 2022 has understandably worked out great for McIlroy and the top players on the PGA Tour in terms of there is now even more money in the game, the same cannot be said for those PGA Tour players lower down the pecking order - or for sponsors for that matter.

The PGA Tour recently confirmed that as of 2026 season the amount of Tour cards will be reduced to 100 players, further limiting the playing privileges for those lower down the ladder. 

Let alone TV viewers are consistently down on the PGA Tour as a result of many of the world's best such as Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Tyrrell Hatton, Cameron Smith and Sergio Garcia now all competing on the LIV Golf League. 

Wagner considers McIlroy is only thinking about himself rather than the bigger picture on the PGA Tour. 

"The fact that he is talking about we've all benefited [from the emergence of LIV Golf], like he is just seeing things from such a finite perspective, from his perspective," said Wagner, who won three titles on the PGA Tour between 2008 and 2012. 

"He is not seeing who hasn't benefited since all this has gone on, the sponsors that pay all the bills to the PGA Tour events. TV is down, everything is down, yet they are being asked to pay more money so good for you, I'm glad you're making more money than you were in 2019, which was a ton of money.

"And also, he's just telling everybody to get over it. Erm, Rory has said some things over the last couple of seasons that have rubbed a lot of players the wrong way and now he wants everybody to get over it and he's pushing for a small world Tour, he's trying to get his way. 

"Look, I'm a huge fan of Rory but he is angering me right now. Angering me."

Watch Wagner's explosive Rory rant here: