Garcia: Rory's The One With The Problem

Once upon a time Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy were big friends, Ryder Cup partners and, in their different ways, were two of the game's shining lights.

But those days are now long gone and, in an interview with The Telegraph, the Spaniard has claimed that he is open for a sit-down reconciliatory chat, not that it was ever likely to happen.

The two fell out over Garcia's move to LIV Golf, the Spaniard texted McIlroy to tell him to stop criticising the switch and the Northern Irishman would then delete Garcia's number.

“I was pretty offended and sent him back a couple of daggers and that was it,” explained McIlroy.

Now Garcia, who's playing in the first LIV event of the year in Mexico, has said that he'd be willing to speak with McIlroy.

“I don’t have a problem with him. He’s the one that has a problem,” Garcia said. “So if he wants to reconcile, then I’m willing to talk. But I’m not sure he’ll put himself down to that level. I think it is very sad. I think that we’ve done so many things together and had so many experiences that for him to throw that away just because I decided to go to a different tour, well, it doesn’t seem very mature; lacking maturity, really.

“But Rory’s got his own life and he makes his own choices, the same way that I make mine. I respect his choices but it seems like he doesn’t respect the ones I make. So a one-way street.”

Garcia, the record points scorer at the Ryder Cup, has previously claimed that some of Europe's players have shown 'very little class' as regards the possibility of him and the LIV crowd being part of Luke Donald's side in Rome.

“I didn't play the minimum number of tournaments last year and I don't think I can qualify. But as I said at the time, I don't know if I want to be part of the team. If there are three or four who if I'm there will be looking at me badly and do not want me there ... What do I bring to the team?. I really want to be there to be me, to be the Sergio who plays the Ryder, who loves and who puts an arm over everyone's shoulder to help.

“And if then you have people there who because you have decided to go to another Tour you are no longer their friend, you are the bad one, you are the one such or that, that has disappointed me and has taught me that really those people who thought they were friends of mine are not. Jon [Rahm] is not one of them, but there are others who have shown very little class."

Garcia finished by having another pointed dig at McIlroy, and his old friend Tiger, and how they dominate things on the PGA Tour.

“We had so much criticism when we started off last June that it unified us all together and that included with the bosses,” Garcia added. “You can suggest things, ideas, and although they are not always followed up and acted upon, you are listened to. That didn’t happen on the PGA Tour. There are only two, maybe three players who the bosses listen to on that Tour.”