Rory McIlroy finished tied for 42nd at the DP World India Championship, 17 shots behind winner Eugenio Chacarra. The Spaniard closed at 21 under to beat Daniel Hillier by two strokes at Delhi Golf Club. But McIlroy’s performance was not the only talking point. After Kevin Kisner claimed he had travelled to India for a $10 million appearance fee, the Northern Irishman had a question of his own.

“Why would he know that?” he asked.

Four-time PGA Tour winner and NBC lead golf analyst Kevin Kisner made the claim on the Fore Play podcast. Kisner, who also served on Keegan Bradley’s US Ryder Cup leadership team at Bethpage Black, was responding to McIlroy’s comments at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, where he spoke about improving access to golf and encouraging more people in India to play.

“That is such a dog sh*t comment, but I guess for the right price, we could all say that comment. He doesn’t want to globally expand in India; he wants to get his $10 million bucks and go play in India,” Kisner had said. His complaint was with the “altruism” story he believes players tell alongside it. He also called the whole setup “very odd to me.”

McIlroy also used his appearance at the forum to criticise LIV Golf, saying it benefited already wealthy professionals rather than the wider golf ecosystem. When reporters asked him about Kisner’s criticism, McIlroy said he had not seen the comments and questioned why his decision to play in India had drawn that reaction.

“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 a 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 in the United States. It’s a huge market for golf,” Rory said.

The six-time major champion also called his visit a “wonderful week” and said the tournament marked another step forward for golf in India and internationally, reinforcing his belief in the country’s potential as a market for the sport.

McIlroy’s answer separates two questions that Kisner merged. Whether a player is paid and why he plays are not the same thing. His reply treats the fee as a given, which is a different defense from saying there was no fee.

The PGA Tour bars players and their representatives from seeking or accepting payments to guarantee appearances at tournaments it cosponsors, approves or coordinates, unless its Policy Board authorises them. The restriction is not a blanket ban on members receiving appearance fees at events worldwide.

GOLF.com reported that McIlroy received an appearance fee, though the amount was not publicly disclosed. He was not the only player paid to attend. Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood were also among the stars in Delhi, where promotional duties included a “Diwali with the Stars” dinner on Friday.

Additionally, Kisner questioned McIlroy’s decision to leave his driver out of the bag for the second straight year in Delhi. He cited the choice to forgo one of his greatest strengths as another reason to doubt his motives for playing in India.

McIlroy has given a competitive reason. Delhi Golf Club has narrow, jungle-lined fairways that put a premium on accuracy. In 2025, he said, “I just don’t feel like the risk is worth the reward.” 

He was hardly alone. At the inaugural event in 2025, 58 of the 138 players, or 42% of the field, played without a driver, including Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland and Ben Griffin. McIlroy left out both his driver and three-wood, reflecting how little room the course offered for error off the tee.

That idea supports Rory McIlroy’s explanation that he was managing risk on a demanding course. His club selection does not, by itself, establish why he chose to play in India.

He had been in contention this time, opening with a 70 before a bogey-free 68 left him four shots off the lead at halfway. But a third-round 74 pushed him 10 behind Chacarra, and he eventually finished tied for 42nd, 17 strokes back.

With that, McIlroy acknowledged that he had done little preparation before arriving in Delhi.

“I didn’t really touch a club after Wentworth until I turned up this week,” he said. “Didn’t feel I was at my sharpest, so looking forward to getting home and practicing and feeling like I turn up at those last two events ready to play and ready to go.”

The inaugural 2025 edition carried a $4 million purse, the largest the DP World Tour had offered in India, and brought the Tour back to Delhi Golf Club for the first time since 2016. Tommy Fleetwood won that first edition and returned as defending champion in 2026, when Chacarra claimed the title.

The investment extends beyond one event. DP World has signed a multi-year partnership with the Professional Golf Tour of India. The PGTI staged 36 events in 2025 with a combined purse above INR 35 crore (USD 36,85,549), excluding two marquee tournaments.

DP World announced McIlroy as a Global Ambassador on October 13 under a multi-year partnership that will support his training and recovery throughout his PGA Tour and DP World Tour schedules. The arrangement centres on two personalised trailers equipped with strength and cardio equipment, an infrared sauna, a cold plunge and a Hyperice recovery station.

The company offered to manage the trailers’ transport, customs clearance and storage, giving McIlroy and his team a consistent place to train and recover at tournaments. The agreement establishes a commercial relationship with the tournament’s title sponsor, but it does not confirm Kisner’s claim that McIlroy received $10 million to play in India. He has also supported the idea of taking golf to a wider audience.

He has reduced his PGA Tour appearances and played at the Australian Open in December 2025 after his first trip to India. He has also urged top players to compete outside the United States, promoting a more international schedule before this controversy began.

Chacarra’s victory, his third of the season, moved him to the top of the Race to Dubai standings ahead of Patrick Reed, with McIlroy third. McIlroy now trails both players as he pursues a record-equalling eighth season-long title. He is scheduled to return at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship from November 5-8 for the start of the DP World Tour play-offs.

For now, the exact appearance fee remains undisclosed, but the disagreement goes beyond the amount. Kisner saw a payday behind McIlroy’s words. His response was that getting paid and growing the game need not be competing motives.