Rory McIlroy has hit back at Kevin Kisner’s assertion that he only appeared at the DP World India Championship to pick up a big pay cheque.
The County Down man appeared at the event last year and was present again at Delhi Golf Club for the 2026 edition, won by Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra with McIlroy finishing in a tie for 42nd.
On the eve of this year’s event, American golfer Kisner – a four-time winner on the PGA Tour – took aim at McIlroy on the Fore Play podcast.
It was in response to McIlroy’s appearance at the Bloomberg New Economic Forum in New Delhi where he spoke of growing the game.
“I guess for the right price, we could all say that comment [about growing the game],” Kisner said. “He doesn’t want to globally expand in India, he wants to get his $10m (€8.9m) and go play in India.”
Kisner, a Ryder Cup vice-captain last year, also described McIlroy’s ambition to play a global schedule as “dogsh*t.”.
In response McIlroy, who last week agreed a multi-year global partnership with DP World to become a global ambassador, said that you can achieve your ambition of helping to grow the game of golf even if appearance fees are present.
“I don’t know why me being in India would make ‘Kis’ need to comment on it,” McIlroy said, before adding “how would he know that?” when it was suggested to him that the implication from Kisner was that he was only there for the money.
“Two things can be true at the same time.
“People can get paid to come and play at a tournament, but at the same time, do it from a place of genuine interest of trying to bring the sport to another country, a developing country, a country where the middle class in India is larger than the whole population of the United States.
“It’s a huge market for golf.”