Rory McIlroy is considering several members of LIV Golf leaving the league in the coming months now that he has filed for bankruptcy.
Speaking ahead of the Irish Open this week at Trump International Doonbeg, McIlroy was asked about the status of LIV Golf in the event the company officially filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday. That comes after months of uncertainty after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was told it was no longer canceling the deal.
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While LIV Golf isn’t gone — the venture is working to morph into “LIV 2.0” and walk the path without PIF — McIlroy expects many big names to be on either the PGA Tour or the DP Tour in the near future.
“I’m not in the shoes, but the LIV initially looked a lot more attractive than the LIV 2.0 from a financial standpoint,” said McIlroy. “I don’t want to predict the future, but I want to predict that you will see some guys leave, as they have been free so far as, I think, the contract has been broken by them filing for bankruptcy.
“I think that resources have to make other decisions on the tour. And obviously there are a lot of players in the 50s, which can strengthen golf tournaments and make them more competitive.”
LIV Golf filed for bankruptcy in the United States on Tuesday, a long-awaited move. The league, hit by several lawsuits, canceled the event and reportedly ran for months after the PIF announced in April that it would no longer fund LIV Golf after the 2026 campaign.
Some of LIV Golf’s biggest names still owe millions too. Jon Rahm, who has been reported to be considering leaving, is listed as the top secured creditor in the bankruptcy filing and is owed about $7.5 million. Bryson DeChambeau, whose contract with LIV Golf expired at the end of the season, is second on that list and is still owed more than $5.7 million.
However, filing is likely to result in 50 Golf members being released from existing contracts. That could allow players to join DP on the World Tour, or even the PGA Tour. The European Tour has been more open to LIV Golf members playing for them — though they can no longer play in either league until 2027 — than the PGA Tour has been.
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The Tour welcomed Brooks Koepka in January, but only after some significant and expensive stipulations. Patrick Reed left LIV Golf and spent the past season on the DP World Tour in his attempt to return to the PGA Tour while serving his year-long suspension.
Although there are still many issues, the bankruptcy filings have definitely opened the door for LIV Golf members to leave early if they wish to do so. And if players like Rahm and DeChambeau do leave, it will put LIV Golf in a worse place than it already is.
As for McIlroy, who was one of LIV Golf’s biggest opponents in the heat of the rivalry in the sport, he thinks only the DP World Tour can help.
“I hope it’s a good thing for the DP World Tour,” McIlroy said. “And I think the health of the DP World Tour is in a really good spot. They have a wonderful partnership with the PGA Tour. I think the partnership is only going to get stronger, especially with the PGA Tour committing to working with the DP World Tour to develop some of these international events this time of year.
“So you have PGA Tour players not really doing anything for five months at this time. If they are incorporated or anyone else is incorporated in these tournaments, that makes them more competitive. Overall, you know, I think when they work in a system, it’s very good for the golf ecosystem. I think it only makes these tournaments stronger with competitive players in them.”