World number one Rory McIlroy expressed frustration with his performance at the Dubai Desert Classic, where Thomas Pieters, Michael Thorbjornsen and Richard Bland shared the halfway lead.

The tournament will spill into Monday after adverse weather on the first two days, with Belgian Pieters, Englishman Bland and American amateur Thorbjornsen sharing the lead on 10 under heading into the final two rounds.

McIlroy is tied for seventh place – along with Patrick Reed, after their spat earlier in the week – on eight under.

The Northern Irishman was unhappy with his second round, however, after carding a 70 following his first-round 66.

McIlroy birdied the third and made an eagle putt from 33 feet on the 13th, yet he bogeyed the 10th and could not beat par on any other hole.

"More of the same really," said McIlroy when asked for his thoughts on Saturday's round.

"I think I only hit two fairways. Once you can't hit fairways and the rough is quite thick, it's hard to get any control on your ball, get close to par fours. A little rusty, I need to do a bit of work on it.

"I've chipped and putted it well and got myself around the course okay, been able to post a couple of decent scores and at least have a chance going into the last few days. But definitely more negatives than positives – I need to go and figure it out on the range."

McIlroy was, however, pleased the tournament organisers extended the event through to Monday.

He said: "I'm glad that they've gone to Monday and all the field have the opportunity to play 72 holes. It's such a big event, I think the discrepancy between these big events and the lesser ones, that fourth day could mean a lot to someone for changing the course of their year or their career.

"We can still get to our destinations on Monday night. Thankfully for me, there's two more rounds."

Reed also went round in 70 on Saturday, while Spain's Adri Arnaus, Sweden's Marcus Kinhult and Connor Syme of Scotland stood tied for fourth on nine under par.

Pieters, meanwhile, recovered from a sloppy front nine by having seven birdies after the turn.

American Thorbjornsen carded an eagle and seven birdies as he went round in 64, while Englishman Dan Bradbury registered the best score of the round, a 63, to join McIlroy and Reed on eight under, with Ian Poulter also in the eight-man group on that score.

"It feels good," Thorbjornsen said. "I didn't have the best round yesterday and the day before, felt like I missed a lot of putts out there. I thought I had a pretty good game plan but just stuck to it today. I actually made some putts.

"I enjoy playing professional golf a lot and I'm still an amateur, but just the golf courses that we play, the crowd out there, it's what I'm dreaming of ever since I was five or six years old. It just feels good to be out there."

Rory McIlroy put himself firmly in the mix at the Dubai Desert Classic after a flourish that disguised the "rusty" golf he feared would put him way down the leaderboard.

The lucrative DP World Tour event was again hit by wet weather on Friday, after a six-hour delay on Thursday, and with McIlroy among many in the field yet to begin the second round, organisers decided it would be extended to finish on Monday rather than Sunday.

McIlroy got his work for the day done in the morning at Emirates Golf Club, polishing off an opening round he left in a promising place overnight, having reached two under through 15 holes and given himself a short-range putt at the next that he elected to leave for Friday.

The world number one made that putt, then holed out from 107 yards for eagle at the eighth hole, his 17th, and finished with another birdie to complete a six-under 66 for what was a share of the lead at the time.

McIlroy summed up his performance on Thursday as "honestly not very good", so he was thankful to shoot such a low score.

"I struggled out there most of yesterday," McIlroy said. "I thought did I well to be under par by the end of the day. I fought back after some very sloppy rusty golf over the first 14 holes.

"And then today I came out and I don't really know if anything clicked because I don't think I hit enough shots to know. But it was definitely needed. I would have been happy with anything around 70 the way I played, and then to come in and shoot 66 is quite the bonus."

American Patrick Reed, involved in a pre-tournament spat with McIlroy and alleged to have thrown a tee at his rival, joined the Northern Irishman on six under through the opening 18 holes thanks to a 15-foot eagle putt at the last.

Reed, who missed the cut in Abu Dhabi last week, said: "I'm obviously really happy with the way I played. I felt like last week wasn't really a reflection of all the hard work I've been doing in the off-season.

"To come out this week and feel like I was able to put everything together and to have my mind right on game planning and course management was definitely a plus. I feel like I had full control of the golf ball and made a couple of putts."

Reed and McIlroy will play their second rounds on Saturday, but others began their second circuits before darkness brought an end to Friday's play.

The first-round joint lead was snatched away from Reed and McIlroy by Swedish amateur Ludvig Aberg and Englishman Ian Poulter, who both carded seven-under 65s.

Aberg then stumbled in the early stages of his second round, slipping back to five under through seven holes, but Poulter had a share of the overnight lead on eight under after making birdie at the third, the last hole he completed.

Alongside Poulter was fellow English veteran Richard Bland, who followed a 67 by picking up three shots in the opening four holes of his second round.

Spain's Angel Hidalgo held third place on seven under after he followed a 66 with an early birdie in round two, while South African Louis de Jager joined McIlroy and Reed in a share of fourth position.

Rory McIlroy was tied with rival Patrick Reed for the lead after the delayed conclusion to round one of the Dubai Desert Classic, though the Northern Irishman was not entirely satisfied with his performance.

The build-up to the tournament has been dominated by a spat between world number one McIlroy and LIV Golf defector Reed.

American Reed labelled McIlroy an "immature little child" for blanking him at the practice range and was also alleged to have thrown a tee at McIlroy.

McIlroy said Reed's lawyer served him with court papers on Christmas Eve, although Reed has said he was not behind the subpoena, with the case concerned being one brought by American attorney Larry Klayman relating to divisions between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.

A strong start from both players on a rain-delayed day one raised the possibility of an intriguing pairing over the weekend.

And the chances of that happening were increased with McIlroy – who started on the back nine – closing birdie, eagle, birdie to finish his first round at six under par.

Reed matched that score thanks to a 15-foot eagle at the last.

Asked for his thoughts about how he played in round one, McIlroy said: "Honestly, not very good. I struggled out there most of yesterday. I thought I did well to be under par by the end of the day. I fought back after some very sloppy rusty golf over the first sort of 14 holes.

"And then today I came out and I don't really know if anything clicked because I don't think I hit enough shots to know, but it was definitely needed.

"I would have been happy with anything around 70 the way I played, and then to come in and shoot 66 is quite the bonus."

The highlight for McIlroy was holing out from 114 yards out of the sand at the eighth (his 17th).

"You know, I wouldn't say I'm the best fairway bunker player in the world. The desert is a little nicer, it's a little more packed down, so you get some better lies," he said.

"All I was thinking about was catching it clean. My tendency out of those lies is to hit it a little bit heavy. As soon as I struck it – went down the grip a little bit just to make sure of the strike – I knew it came out really nicely and it was right down the pin.

"Again, anything inside of 20 feet, I would have been happy with, so that was certainly a bonus."

Rivals Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed made positive starts to the Dubai Desert Classic after heavy rain caused play on day one to be delayed by over six hours.

World number one McIlroy was involved in an eve-of-tournament spat with American Reed, who labelled the Northern Irishman an "immature little child" for blanking him at the practice range. Reed was also alleged to have thrown a tee at McIlroy.

McIlroy said Reed's lawyer served him with court papers on Christmas Eve, although Reed has said he was not behind the subpoena, with the case concerned being one brought by American attorney Larry Klayman relating to divisions between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.

"I'm living in reality. I don't know where he’s living," McIlroy said of his snub for Reed, one of the players who has signed up or LIV Golf. "If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't expect a hello or a handshake."

They could yet end up as playing partners later this week, which would be awkward, and Reed sped out to four under par through 16 holes once play finally got under way on Thursday, before bad light halted players in their tracks.

McIlroy, who began on the back nine, was playing his 16th hole when he abandoned for the day, having reached two under and given himself a great birdie opportunity, leaving himself a five-foot putt for the morning at the par-three seventh.

Playing partner Ryan Fox missed out on a hole in one when his tee shot to the same hole, bang on target, rolled up just six inches short. The New Zealander tapped that in to go to three under.

That put Fox into a share of eighth place, with McIlroy tied for 12th.

Belgium's Thomas Pieters led on five under through 15 holes, one ahead of a group of six, with Reed, Englishman Tommy Fleetwood and Frenchman Victor Perez approaching the end of their rounds, while Matthew Jordan, Daniel Gavins and Oliver Wilson reached the clubhouse. Gavins made bogey after a missed putt at the last, electing to play on after the hooter and forfeiting a share of the lead.

Only 66 players of the 132 in the tournament got going on Thursday, meaning Friday was set to be busy, with those left with holes to complete set to start at 08:00 local time (04:00 GMT), and the rest of the field beginning their first rounds at 08:20, with second rounds to follow.

Padraig Harrington was having a dismal round, with the former Open and US PGA champion at eight over after 13 holes.

After a challenging weather day, leader Pieters said of the course: "I think it played fair. Obviously they guarded against some of the conditions, and they moved a few tees forward on holes like 12, where you normally are hitting long irons, and you're hitting short wedges. If you found fairways and had ball-in-hand, it was definitely playable."

Rory McIlroy has been called an "immature little child" by Patrick Reed.

McIlroy confirmed he purposely ignored Reed at a practice session ahead of the Dubai Desert Classic.

Reed, one of the high-profile players who left the PGA Tour to sign up for the LIV Golf Invitational last year, was alleged to have thrown a tee at McIlroy, who claimed not to have noticed.

The American, who McIlroy said had served him with court papers on Christmas Eve, has denied there was any malicious intent behind that move, as he hit out at the world number one's behaviour.

Reed told reporters: "One of my attorneys filed a lawsuit against the PGA Tour based off the fans' perspective.

"Supposedly, he subpoenaed Tiger [Woods] and Rory. You know, the media sits there and acts as if I'm the one that is subpoenaing these guys and, honestly, that's far from the truth – it has nothing to do with me and nothing to do with any of the lawsuits that I'm a part of.

"It was good to see [Rory] again this week, that he's over here supporting [the DP World Tour] again, but it is one of those things.

"If you're going to act like an immature little child, then you might as well be treated like one."

Reed, who won the Masters in 2018, explained what happened when he went to greet McIlroy.

"[McIlroy's caddie] Harry [Diamond] shook my hand and Rory was messing with his TrackMan [golf app], and he just looked up and kind of decided to ignore us.

"Since my tees are Team Aces LIV tees, I flicked him one. It was kind of a funny shot back. Funny how a small, little flick has basically turned into me stabbing him."

McIlroy said the incident was a "storm in a teacup", but also said: "I'm living in reality. I don't know where he’s living. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't expect a hello or a handshake."

Reed is now hoping to go head-to-head with McIlroy out on the course.

"That would be great, but I will tell you this much – there won't be much talking," Reed said.

"Even if I said hello on the first, he won't say anything. I can be as much a gentleman as I can be, [it's] his choice if he doesn't respond."

Rory McIlroy saw no need to defend his actions after he blanked Patrick Reed at a practice session ahead of the Dubai Desert Classic.

Reed is alleged to have thrown a golf tee at McIlroy after the world number one refused to acknowledge him.

McIlroy has stressed he did not see a tee being thrown at him, while Reed denied it.

However, McIlroy explained he has no desire to speak to Reed, who the Northern Irishman has claimed sent him court papers on Christmas Eve.

Reed is one of several high-profile players to have joined the LIV Golf Invitational Series last year, a Saudi-backed breakaway from the PGA Tour, the main tour for which McIlroy has become an unofficial spokesperson over the past 12 months.

"Patrick came up to say hello and I didn't really want him to," McIlroy told reporters in Dubai.

"From my recollection, that was it. I didn't see a tee. I didn't feel a tee. Obviously, someone else saw that.

"But it's definitely a storm in a teacup. I can't believe it's actually turned into a story; it's nothing.

"I was down by my bag, and he came up to me. I was busy working and sort of doing my practice. I didn't feel the need to acknowledge him."

It is unclear if McIlroy will take any further steps, though the 33-year-old added: "I didn't see a tee coming my direction at all, but apparently that's what happened. And if roles were reversed and I'd have thrown that tee at him, I'd be expecting a lawsuit."

McIlroy also suggested Reed must be living in a different world if he believed the four-time major champion would shake his hand.

"I was subpoenaed by his lawyer on Christmas Eve," McIlroy said.

"Trying to have a nice time with my family and someone shows up on your doorstep and delivers that, you're not going to take that well.

"I'm living in reality, I don't know where he's living. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't expect a hello or a handshake."

McIlroy again reiterated his opposition to LIV Golf, saying: "There's no point in just being a mouthpiece when you can't back that up by playing good golf and showing people the rewards people can have out here if they are playing well.

"It's a merit-based system. That's the thing that I've always struggled with: if a five-year-old boy or girl know that they work hard and they shoot the scores, there's a merit-based system in golf all the way through junior golf, amateur golf, all the way up to the professional level, and they can make it to the top levels of the game.

"This is the one thing that's come into the game that has disrupted that. It's not a merit-based system."

Impossible as it was to avoid the buzz and the enormity of the news reports – a $15million purse, $2.7m to the winner – the most valuable commodity to the PGA Tour and its membership arrived at the end of the Sentry Tournament of Champions with no advance hype.

That's because it was unscripted and didn't cost a thing – except for a heavy dose of Jon Rahm's might and a small hole in Collin Morikawa's gut.

"A crazy day," said Rahm, shaking his head.

If you think he was surprised to make up a six-shot deficit over the final seven holes and win on the Plantation Course at the famed Kapalua Resort on the Hawaiian island of Maui, imagine the shock that enveloped Morikawa. He had a commanding lead to start the final day and was 27-under to Rahm's 21-under through 11 holes.

Then, the improbable crashed in like one of those waves exploding against the rocks in Honolua Bay beneath the par-three 11th hole.

Rahm went birdie, birdie, birdie, eagle, par from holes 12-16; Morikawa played those five holes in three-over. Factor in matching pars at 17 and birdies at 18 and you've got an eight-stroke swing. Six back as he teed off on the 12th, Rahm won by two.

Set aside, for a moment, what the unfathomable turnaround means to the growing aura of Rahm, 28, or what the challenge will now be for the 25-year-old Morikawa, a ball-striking wonder whose short game failed him horribly down the stretch.

Instead, appreciate what this tournament finish meant for the PGA Tour as it debuted the first of 13 designated events that feature huge increases in purses and commitments from the best players to be in all 13 (plus the four major championships).

Its fundamental strength is set to shine through, as it did at the Sentry.

Elite players battling over the same holes at the same time late in a fourth round of a tournament that had attracted 17 of the world's top 20 players. These are the moments that reinforce the notion that the PGA Tour's steadfast commitment to individual play over 72 holes works best.

When at its best, golf that is fuelled by raw passion delivers the purest form of entertainment. And athletic entertainment, remember, is both the unmistakable face of joy and the can’t-take-your-eyes-off gut-wrenching anguish.

Because it was what elite golfers want in their competition – the individual challenge to prove you have what it takes – there was a series of thundering Rahm fist pumps over the Plantation Course's back nine that could have been emphatic exclamation points to a series of truisms.

Designated events will work. Fist pump.

The money is great, but the true lure is the attendance of nearly every top 20 name. Fist pump.

This is how the game's hottest player stays on a mission. Fist pump.

No time to rest, as four more designated events will be played in the next nine weeks. Fist pump.

"Obviously, a great start for me, for what's going to be a very different year," Rahm said.

Admittedly, the Spaniard was still a bit stunned by the unexpected end. Morikawa had played 54 bogey-free holes in 24-under and everyone, Rahm included, thought he would push towards 30-under and coast.

"Honestly, I wasn't thinking about winning," he added.

But this is why you play the game. Especially 72 holes with a field that was jam-packed with those top 10 guests Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele (last-minute withdrawal with a back issue), Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Viktor Hovland, while invitations were accepted by Tony Finau, Sam Burns, Tom Kim, Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, Cameron Young, and Billy Horschel.

The gang's all here. Get used to it, because it's going to be delightfully frequent according to Rahm, whose smile seemed to indicate he relishes it. And the flow of fist pumps suggested he's not backing down from any of them.

"I feel like I've been the best player in the world [since last summer]," Rahm continued. He acknowledged that Scottie Scheffler was clearly No. 1 early in 2022, then it was Rory McIlroy, "but I feel like right now it's me."

Computers spit out a different set of numbers – McIlroy, Scheffler, Cameron Smith and Cantlay are Nos. 1-4. Rahm concedes he's confused by that, but clearly he doesn't bring such cloudiness to the golf course.

He's won three of his last worldwide starts and in his last eight starts, going back to August, Rahm's been top five six times, with his other tournaments being a T-8 and T-16.

As torrid as that has been, McIlroy's achievements read splendidly, also. Since the Masters last April, the Northern Irishman has three wins, a total of 11 top-five finishes, and 13 top 10s. His last seven starts saw finishes of 4th, 1st, T-4, 4th, T-2, 1st, T-8, which adds up to a worthy claim to the No. 1 spot.

But if you wanted to side with Rahm's contention that he's playing like the real No. 1, not many would fight you. It helps explain why this series of designated tournaments will do more than reward players financially; it will pump up the entertainment to delightful levels.

"We're all working hard. I know everybody's putting in a lot of effort to try and stay [high in the OWGR] as long as possible," said Rahm. "But, yes, I want to be back up there [at No. 1]."

So, too, is Morikawa promising to shake off the back-nine meltdown on Maui. That his only bogeys of the tournament came at an ill-advised time – his 68th, 69th, and 70th holes of the week – seemed to gnaw at the two-time major winner.

"It's just kind of going to hopefully push me more and more to really figure out what it's going to take for 72 holes," he said.

Rory McIlroy will sit out next month's Tournament of Champions despite its status as one of the PGA Tour's "elevated purse" events.

The world number one is absent from the confirmed field of players set to take to Kapalua's Plantation Course for the traditional season opener on January 5.

The Tournament of Champions is one of several events with an increased pot, in what is viewed as an effort to combat the lucrative pay-outs offered by LIV Golf.

McIlroy, a vocal critic of the breakaway last year, will not be on hand for the curtain-raiser, however, having opted to pass on the event.

PGA Tour members are allowed to skip one "elevated purse" event per season, with the Northern Irishman opting to bow out of the tournament in Hawaii this time around.

It means he has still made just the one visit to the event, having finished T4 in 2019.

Three of last year's major winners will compete however, with Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and Matt Fitzpatrick all included in the field.

11 first-time winners are included from 2022, while eight of the world top 10 and four FedExCup champions also make the cut, though Open Championship winner Cameron Smith is absent after his LIV Golf defection.

McIlroy is also expected to skip the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January, where he started his campaign this year.

The four-time major winner is set to start his campaign on the DP World Tour instead, with the Dubai Desert Classic, where he is a two-time previous winner.

Rory McIlroy feels like he is on a “journey” to winning another major title and is optimistic his drought could end next season.

The Northern Irishman has enjoyed a successful 2022, winning the FedEx Cup for the third time and ending the season at the top of the world rankings.

McIlroy endured the agony of missing out on being crowned Open champion after putting himself in a great position to win it, while he was runner-up in The Masters and finished eighth in the PGA Championship.

It is eight years since the 33-year-old won the last of his four major tiles, but he is confident he will not have much longer to wait for the fifth.

"I'm really excited for the majors next year," he told RTE. "I haven't felt this good going into a season, especially a major season, in a long, long time.

"It didn’t happen [in The Open at St Andrews] and it was really hard to see the picture clearly at that time. But a week or two after that, you reflect on it and think 'I'm way closer to winning a major now than I have been in a long time'.

"It's a journey again. I feel like I'm on this journey to win my first major again, which is a really great feeling. I'm getting closer, I'm laying the foundations, and I'm sort of building it step by step."

McIlroy also reiterated that he feels LIV Golf boss Greg Norman should step down for the good of the sport.

"He's become too divisive of a figure," he added. "There's no hope of dialogue going forward if he's involved.

"We have a plethora of amazing golfers on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, but I think the game is healthier as a whole if we're all playing together.

"Greg's done his bit, he's been disruptive, he's been divisive. But now I think it's time for someone to come in and cooler heads to talk about this.

"If that happens, the game of golf will hopefully end up in a better place than it is right now."

Greg Norman has vowed to remain with LIV Golf despite Rory McIlroy's criticism, adding the door remains open for the world number one to defect down the line.

In addition, the double major champion revealed the Saudi-funded breakaway tour has held discussions with Justin Thomas, though he did not say whether the two-time PGA Championship winner would switch his allegiance.

Since its inception in 2021, LIV Golf has sparked a bitter civil war in the sport, with McIlroy and Tiger Woods launching stinging rebukes against Norman and his allies.

There were calls earlier this month for the Australian to quit, with the pair suggesting reconciliation could be on the table if he was to stand down.

But Norman says he will resist such calls, telling Bunkered magazine: "Rory and Tiger have no idea what they're talking about. None whatsoever.

"I have got the full support from my chairman. There has never been one thing to suggest otherwise. They're trying to bait me into a public back-and-forth. I'm not going down that childish path.

"You're already seeing LIV is a leader. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour, they're followers. They've basically copied our homework."

Norman did suggest that McIlroy would be welcomed with open arms if he was to change his tune though, while praising Thomas for his conduct in not criticising LIV Golf after he was approached to join.

"Our door is open for everybody," he added. "We're not the PGA Tour. We're not like that. We exist for the players, so we will always have an open door, whether that's for Rory or Jordan Spieth or Justin Thomas or whoever. 

"We talked to JT [Thomas], we sat down with him and gave him the full presentation. If you notice, he's not said much negative about what we're doing, presumably because he knows it and understands it."

Tiger Woods fell to a 3 and 2 loss alongside Rory McIlroy on his return to the course, after the pair were downed by Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in The Match.

The 15-time major winner partnered the world number one, friend and fellow PGA flagbearer for the televised exhibition contest, played over 12 holes at Pelican Golf Club in Florida.

The event, which raised money for Hurricane Ian relief efforts, is the third edition of the event, with Woods a mainstay of the competition.

But having sat out the Hero World Challenge through injury last week due to plantar fasciitis, the 46-year-old and his partner were outmatched across the contest.

Spieth and Thomas took the second, third and fourth holes to race into an early lead, and although Woods and McIlroy pulled back the seventh, the former pair restored their advantage on the eighth.

It marked a good-natured battle between the four, who have emerged as major players on the PGA Tour following a slate of defections to the breakaway LIV Golf tour.

Woods and McIlroy in particular have been vocal critics of the Saudi-funded series of events, which have attracted several of the sport's best players and sparked a bitter civil war in golf.

The duo have suggested reconciliation could be possible, but only if LIV Golf figurehead Greg Norman was to relinquish his position as CEO and stand down.

Woods will next play in the PNC Championship later this month, where he is expected to partner his son Charlie at the family event.

Tiger Woods will use a cart to help him cope with a foot injury when he partners Rory McIlroy in The Match charity event this weekend.

The 15-time major winner has not played competitively since missing the cut at The Open in July, having struggled with plantar fasciitis in his right foot – pain in the heel caused by tissue inflation.

However, Woods, who was also absent from last week's Hero World Golf Challenge, will be aided by a cart when he teams up with world number one McIlroy in Florida for Hurricane Ian relief.

The pair will compete against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in the 12-hole competition at Pelican Golf Club.

"I can hit golf balls. It's just hard getting from point A to point B, so [the cart] will certainly help a lot," he said.

"Being in a cart is a totally different deal. That's something I've done at home quite a bit. When I was trying to gear up and be able to play in the Hero and see if I could actually do it, the walking part was the challenge, it wasn't actually swinging.

"I've got to get this plantar to heal and that just takes time. It's not something that happens overnight. It's going to take a lot of rest and healing and unfortunately, treatment. It's a tough road."

Later this month, Woods will play in the PNC Championship alongside 13-year-old son Charlie, who he advised to copy McIlroy's swing – a compliment that means a lot to the four-time major winner.

"[Tiger is] probably the best iron player that's ever lived, probably the best golfer that's ever lived. Period," McIlroy added.

"I think if he can just get it out in the fairway, and get some looks in the fairway, I think we're going to have a really good chance.

"It's flattering that, in my opinion, the best player ever is telling his son to swing like me. My dad taught me how to play the game growing up, and his thing was to always hold your finish, and I think that's what Tiger's dad taught him back in the day.

"Tiger's picked up on that and tried to instil that in Charlie. Charlie is a great kid, and he is a great young player. We are all excited to follow his progress and see how far he can go."

Rory McIlroy decided to become "a pain in the a**e" for Greg Norman after the LIV Golf chief executive accused him of having been "brainwashed" by the PGA Tour.

The Northern Irishman has been a fierce critic of the controversial Saudi Arabia-backed circuit, and was recently joined by Tiger Woods in calling for Norman to leave his role.

McIlroy said last month that Norman must "exit stage left" and that the bitter civil war engulfing the sport would not end "unless there's an adult in the room".

Norman recently opted to continue the duo's war of words when speaking to Today's Golfer, saying he paid "zero attention" to the three-time FedEx Cup champion's opinion.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, McIlroy recalled a positive exchange he had with Norman after watching a documentary focused on the Australian's collapse at the 1986 Masters, where Jack Nicklaus edged him out for a one-shot victory.

"It was a bit of an olive branch," McIlroy said. "He came back to me straight away, [saying] 'I really think golf can be a force for good around the world... I know our opinions are not aligned but I'm just trying to create more opportunities for every golfer around the world.'

"Fine. Really nice. Then, a couple of weeks later, he does an interview with The Washington Post and says I've been brainwashed by the PGA Tour.

"We've had this really nice back-and-forth and he says that about me.

"I thought: 'You know what? I'm going to make it my business now to be as much of a pain in his a**e as possible'."

Tiger Woods has hailed Rory McIlroy's leadership on the PGA Tour, after a busy year that saw the Northern Irishman impress on and off the course.

McIlroy has led the fight against the LIV Golf breakaway across 2022, while he has also returned to number one in the world rankings.

Woods echoed McIlroy's calls for LIV chief Greg Norman to step down earlier this week, in order to help heal golf's bitter civil war.

Now though, the 15-time major winner has expressed his wholehearted admiration for his fellow tour favourite, highlighting the respect he commands among his fellow players.

"What Rory has said and done are what leaders do," Woods said.

"Rory is a true leader out here on tour.

"The fact he's able to get things in the public eye, be so clear-minded and eloquent with it, [and then] go out there and win tournaments on top of that, people have no idea how hard that is, to be able to separate those two things.

"He's been fantastic. He's a great leader in our calls we make, and he's a great leader with all the players out here.

"Everyone respects him, and they respect him because not just his ball-striking, his driving, but the person he is."

Woods also assuaged McIlroy's earlier fears that he had given him COVID-19 on the eve of the Open Championship earlier this year, after the latter made the disclosure in an interview.

"I got tested," he added. "I was always negative. I was feeling under the weather, yes, but I never got a positive test."

Woods and McIlroy are set to partner each other in The Match later this month, with the former hoping to be fit after his withdrawal from the Hero World Challenge this week with a foot problem.

Rory McIlroy thinks he may have given Tiger Woods COVID-19 on the eve of the Open Championship after the pair played at a charity event beforehand.

The Northern Irishman, who claimed a third FedEx Cup this year, has forged a close bond over the years with the American, one strengthened by their shared views on the LIV Golf breakaway this season.

While several of their rivals warmed up at the Scottish Open for this year's Open, McIlroy and Woods played at a fundraising event hosted by JP McManus at Adare Manor.

Now, four-time major winner McIlroy has revealed he played at St Andrews while battling COVID-19 – and that he fears he gave it to Woods after the two dined together.

"I woke up feeling a bit achy but didn't really think anything of it," he told the Irish Independent. "[But] as I'm getting up from the table, I'm sore and stiff and super tired.

"I slept for maybe two hours, and the sweat was just pouring off me. Erica [McIlory's wife] took my temperature, and it was sky-high.

"[Tiger] texted me that night with chills and fever. I'm like 'f****** hell, I've just given Tiger COVID. This is horrendous!'. So we both had COVID going into the Open.

"The whole week of the Open, I didn't have any taste, and everything [was] like vinegar to me. Everything. It was really strange."

Woods went on to miss the cut at the Open, while McIlroy was edged out by Cameron Smith on the final day at St Andrews.

McIlroy did end the season on a high, topping the DP World Tour rankings and returning to number one in the world.