Sergio Garcia says his feud with former Ryder Cup team-mate Rory McIlroy is over after the pair resolved their differences at the US Open.

The PGA Tour and DP World Tour agreed a shock merger on 6 June with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which is behind LIV Golf, and Garcia, 43, wanted peace between the tours sooner.

“I wish this would have happened a year and a half ago,” Garcia said.

“To give you an example – it wasn’t because of the merger, but the US Open was a great event for me. I feel like I played well, but more than anything because I gained a friend back, a friend that I kind of felt like I lost in the last year or so. We talked and we had a great conversation, and I feel like I have that friend back and that to me means a lot.”

McIlroy and Garcia were part of Team Europe at the 2021 Ryder Cup when the United States claimed a 19-9 win at Whistling Straits.

Northern Ireland’s McIlroy, 34, finished second at the US Open earlier this month and Spain’s Garcia claims they were brought back together during the tournament when McIlroy had a friendly interaction with his wife Angela Akins Garcia.

“I had been thinking about [rekindling the friendship] for a while but I wasn’t totally sure,” Garcia said.

“But then I saw that reaction from him and it kind of gave me the incentive to get closer and we had a great chat.

“I think that at the end of the day, the important thing is that we got together and talked; we were two friends that wanted to get back to that spot.

“Like I said, no doubt it was the saddest part of all of this, these friendships turning sour.”

Mickelson feeling ‘very optimistic’

Phil Mickelson, 53, was another player to accept the opportunity to join LIV Golf and he made his debut at the Invitational Series in June 2022.

The American, who has won six majors, is preparing for this week’s LIV event in Spain and feels the sport is moving in a positive direction after the rival bodies agreed to work together.

Mickelson, speaking publicly about the merger for the first time, said: “Going forward, we’re all very optimistic about where the game of golf, professional golf specifically, is headed.

“Also, a lot of the changes that have been made because of LIV were all very [appreciated], both on the LIV Tour as well as the PGA Tour, and we’re happy for the guys out there that they’re having some positive changes there, as well.

“I would say I felt appreciation that we got to this point where we’re working together because it makes me confident with where the game of golf is headed in the future.

“We felt like it was going to be about two years roughly before we got to that point. It took a year and a half, or six months quicker than I thought it would be.”

Faldo questions longevity

Sir Nick Faldo has questioned whether LIV Golf has a future following the merger.

The deal between the previously warring factions is still subject to scrutiny in the United States and details remain light; however, the “framework agreement” states LIV’s future will be determined by the new entity and the board is set to be controlled by a PGA Tour majority.

Asked if LIV can survive, six-time major winner Faldo said: “I don’t think so, because nobody’s really interested.

“They’re not going to get the sponsorship that they want. They call it a team [event] and it’s not because it’s strokeplay.

“You see your mates on the putting green and say ‘Play well’ and you see them in the scorers’ tent and say ‘What did you shoot?’. That’s it. A team is out there helping, shoulder to shoulder. That’s a true team.

“You have the ultimate team event, the Ryder Cup, you know the passion and the atmosphere of that. They’re not playing with the same passion and atmosphere as the Ryder Cup.

“It’s only half a dozen [players] that are really current, half of the field I don’t really know and half the field are there for the very nice last-placed money that you still get if you shoot 20 over.”