{
  "id": 15471241,
  "title": "Rory McIlroy responds to appearance fee, 'grow the game' criticism from Kevin Kisner",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/rory-mcilroy-responds-to-appearance-fee-grow-the-game-criticism-from",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-18T19:00:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rory-mcilroy-responds-appearance-fee-190025753.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kevin Kisner criticized Rory McIlroy's participation in the DP World India Championship, calling it a \"dog sh!t comment\" and suggesting that McIlroy was participating solely for financial gain. However, McIlroy was unimpressed by Kisner's remarks, stating that he had not seen or heard Kisner's comments. McIlroy suggested that Kisner's comments were motivated by the prospect of receiving an appearance fee, and that he would have participated in such a tournament if invited. McIlroy acknowledged that many golfers receive appearance fees, and emphasized that participating in a tournament in India could be seen as a genuine effort to promote the sport in a developing market, where India's middle class is significantly larger than the entire population of the United States.",
  "summary": "On Sunday, after the DP World India Championship, Rory McIlroy was asked to respond to comments from Kevin Kisner.",
  "key_points": [
    "McIlroy dismissed Kisner's comments, stating he hadn't seen or heard them.",
    "McIlroy sees the tournament as a genuine effort to promote golf in India's growing market."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Golf.com",
        "title": "'How would he know?': Rory McIlroy dismisses Kevin Kisner's cash-grab claim",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/how-would-he-know-rory-mcilroy-dismisses-kevin-kisners-cash-grab-claim",
        "published": "2026-10-18T18:01:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}