Rory McIlroy’s honest answer when asked if he’d like LIV Golf players to return to the PGA Tour
Rory McIlroy gave a pretty tough answer when asked about LIV Golf players possibly coming back to the PGA Tour.
The LIV Golf League has an uncertain future after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) said in April they won’t fund it past 2026. Since the league started in 2022, the PIF has put in a huge $5 billion, and losing that money could be a big problem.
To keep things going, CEO Scott O’Neil pitched a new version called “LIV 2.0” in July, hoping to raise the $350 million needed to continue the tour. But people are now wondering what will happen to LIV’s top players like John Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau.
Rahm joined LIV for the 2024 season and must decide his future soon as the season’s last event nears. Insiders believe he might return to the PGA Tour in 2027, and the same goes for DeChambeau, whose contract ends after this week’s event. DeChambeau is also planning a surprise return to the DP World Tour in December at the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
When asked about welcoming Rahm and DeChambeau back to the PGA Tour, McIlroy didn’t hold back. As one of LIV’s biggest critics, he said, “Have they brought value to LIV? I think the PGA Tour’s in a really good spot.”
McIlroy has also been pretty honest about not liking DeChambeau much. At The Open last month, he called DeChambeau’s behaviour “performative” after he got a two-stroke penalty for improving his lie by mistake.
While McIlroy is against Rahm and DeChambeau coming back to the PGA Tour, world No.1 Scottie Scheffler feels differently. He says those players could add value but thinks there should be some penalties for leaving the PGA Tour in the first place.
Scheffler told reporters before the BMW Championship, “There are definitely some players who would bring a lot to the Tour, and I love competing against them. But I think some kind of penalties need to be figured out by the PGA Tour leaders.”
He added that he looks forward to competing more often with the best players from LIV who can hold their own on the PGA Tour.
Rahm and DeChambeau’s futures will be decided in the next few weeks, but it’s still unclear if they’ll return to the PGA Tour or not.