Rory: Masters 'way bigger' than any feud with LIV players

Rory McIlroy has voiced his displeasure with the LIV Golf series on several occasions since the inception of the rival circuit, but he opted against doing so from Augusta National on Tuesday.

"This week and this tournament is way bigger than any of that, I feel, and it's just great that all of the best players in the world are together again for the first time in what seems to be quite a while," McIlroy said, per Sky Sports.

McIlroy has been outspoken toward Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson, and Greg Norman since they defected to LIV. Sergio Garcia recently said Rory's "lack of maturity" toward the Saudi-backed league has ended their friendship.

Despite his constant war of words in the press, McIlroy admitted he was pleased to be interacting with select LIV players again this week.

"I see some of these guys at home, I see Brooks (Koepka) a lot, I see DJ (Dustin Johnson) a lot, we sort of practice at the same place," he said.

"I think the more face time you get with some people, the more comfortable you become in some way. I'm going to go play nine holes here with Brooks in a little bit. And look, there's so many - it's a very nuanced situation and there's different dynamics. You know, it's OK to get on with Brooks and DJ and maybe not get on with some other guys that went to LIV, right. It's interpersonal relationships, that's just how it goes."

McIlroy enters this season's first major ranked second in the world with one win under his belt in 2023. The 33-year-old's perpetual pursuit of his first green jacket and completion of the career grand slam is again one of the biggest storylines of the tournament. McIlroy finished second in 2022 and has five career top 10s at Augusta.

The Northern Irishman begins his tournament at 1:48 p.m. ET on Thursday in a group with Tom Kim and Sam Burns.