If it were up to Rory McIlroy, members of LIV Golf would be welcome to join the PGA Tour in 2027.
McIlroy is playing in India’s DP World Tour Championship this week in New Delhi, and stopped by the Bloomberg New Economy Forum to speak on Tuesday. McIlroy was directly asked if he would accept the members of LIV Golf who opted to leave the transition in “LIV 2.0”, losing the funding of Saudi Arabia and he had a very clear answer.
But he said: I will. “I think the tide lifts all boats, and I think having some players for the Tour business is absolutely beneficial.”
But McIlroy knows it’s not as simple as allowing players like Jon Rahm – who has already committed to leaving LIV Golf next season and playing on the DP World Tour to earn his PGA Tour card back – to return to the Tour with open arms.
“I think the thing that people need to realize is that both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour are member organizations, and the leadership of both organizations needs to go to the members and say to them, ‘Okay, what do you want to see?'” McIlroy said.
“Because on the one hand, certainly some of the members who have remained faithful, feel difficult for themselves, if these guys can only go straight. But then on the other hand, having the players back in your Tours is very useful for business. That can drive revenues, and then everyone can benefit. So there is certainly a balance there.”
McIlroy: ‘LIV probably had half a good idea’
LIV is enough work to move forward after a tumultuous campaign this past year. Saudi Arabia’s State Investment Fund announced that the league was no longer financially viable after pouring more than $5 billion into it, and LIV Golf filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month.
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BC partners have committed to investing more than $300 million in the new league, which they often refer to as “LIV 2.0,” but until certain conditions are met.
McIlroy has perhaps been Liv Golf’s worst enemy since the beginning. And now, looking at the state of the venture, McIlroy said it was clear that many mistakes had been made and all the good things that could have been done as a joke had been lost.
“LIV probably had half a good opinion because it was pretty poorly executed,” McIlroy said. “They had a lot of capital, but I think a lot of that capital is being spent in some way, and I think they could have used a lot of money more appropriately. They could partner with some of the governing bodies of the game. They could certainly do better with it, instead of just enriching the Tour pros who were already making a lot of money.”
So far, several notable golfers have either parted ways with LIV Golf or are planning to. Rahm is outand to make one of the greatest names. Patrick Reed left LIV Golf in January, and it was playing this past season full time on the DP Tour to earn his PGA Tour card back, which he nearly accomplished within the last season. Sergio Garcia was also released from contract.
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And on Monday, a DP World Tour has confirmed that they will not concede Conditional membership for golfers who compete in LIV Golf in 2027. This is a change from the past, when members of LIV Golf could retain conditional membership in the European league. And, perhaps most importantly, European golfers must be in good standing with the DP World Tour to play on Ryder Cup teams.
There are many questions to be resolved in the coming months, both about the future of LIV Golf and where the sport will compete at the top in 2027. And although things in the golf world are nowhere near as heated or dark as they were a few years ago, McIlroy is still feeling the repercussions of the split.
“There are definitely people I’ve played with on European Ryder Cup teams that I’m not that close to anymore,” McIlroy said. “Yes, there is disagreement about the future of golf, but I don’t think it’s something to lose friends.
“But we also just didn’t see each other anymore. They didn’t play on the same holiday, they weren’t eligible for the Ryder Cup, they weren’t eligible for a major championship. When you’re not in the same places where people live, you lose touch.”