Rory McIlroy continued to soften his stance on players who signed with LIV Golf, saying he would now vote to welcome them back to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
“I think a rising tide lifts all boats, and I think having some of these players back is beneficial for the business of the Tours, absolutely,” McIlroy said at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi on Tuesday.
McIlroy is in the city for this week’s DP World India Championship, where multiple LIV Golf players are also competing. The Northern Irishman has been arguably the most outspoken critic among tour players of the Saudi-backed league.
With the Public Investment Fund ending its financial support, several players have already left or are in the process of finalizing their exits from LIV. Meanwhile, CEO Scott O’Neil is attempting to secure support for his vision of LIV 2.0 while the league goes through Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
McIlroy sees O’Neil facing a “very difficult” path as more players choose not to sign up for LIV 2.0. He believes that even if it does come to fruition, it won’t pose the same threat to the “traditional order of the game” as it was in the past.
“LIV had probably like half of a good idea that was executed pretty poorly,” McIlroy said. “They had a lot of capital, but I think a lot of that capital was wasted in some ways, and I think they could’ve used that money a lot more strategically. They could have partnered with some of the governing bodies of the game.
“They certainly could’ve done better things with it, instead of just enriching tour pros that were already making a lot of money.”
Patrick Reed decided not to renew his LIV Golf contract for 2026, while Brooks Koepka took advantage of the Returning Player Program to return to the PGA Tour this season. Since LIV Golf filed for bankruptcy, Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia have exited the league, along with fellow Spaniard David Puig.
Garcia did say last week that his intention to play on the DP World Tour does not fully shut the door on playing for LIV 2.0. However, that was before DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings said on Monday that “players need to make a choice,” and anyone competing for LIV in 2027 will be banned from the DP World Tour.
Adrian Meronk reportedly is not interested in playing for LIV 2.0, while Sports Business Journal reported Tuesday that Abraham Ancer intends to compete on the DP World Tour in 2027 with his LIV contract having expired.
Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, two of the biggest stars to sign on early with LIV, are still considering their next steps.
McIlroy said some of his initial frustration with LIV stemmed from the timing of its launch, which coincided with the start of the TGL co-founded by McIlroy and Tiger Woods. In order to be part of the TGL, players have to be PGA Tour members, which excluded those who had signed with LIV.
“Tiger and I, at the very start, back in 2022 when this whole thing kicked off, we were certainly the two that were maybe the most vocal against it,” McIlroy said. “But we were probably the two that had the most to lose, as well, in terms of our stature within the PGA Tour.
“So, yes, I think we both felt that this wasn’t good for the game and that this was going to fracture the game.”
McIlroy also admitted he is not as close as he had been with some European Ryder Cup teammates who departed for LIV. It wasn’t as much due to a difference of opinion as it was about simply not seeing them as often.
Although he has softened his stance regarding LIV players returning to other leagues, McIlroy admitted that feeling will not be shared by all of his fellow players.
“Both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour are both membership organizations, and the leadership of both those organizations need to go to the members and say to them, ‘OK, what would you like to see?'” McIlroy said.
“On one hand, I’m sure some members that stayed loyal would feel hard done by if these guys can just walk straight back in. But then on the other side, having these players back on your tour is very good for business. That can drive revenues up and then everyone can benefit from that.
“So, there’s certainly a balance there.”
