Rory McIlroy gets snarky on the return of LIV Golf players to PGA Tour: 'have they brought value?'
Despite the FedEx Cup Playoffs entering their second week, and even more historic dominance from world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the main topic of conversation in golf right now is the future of the breakaway LIV Golf tour.
With Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund pulling their financial support for LIV after the 2026 season and the lack of clarity around the mysterious investors who are reportedly willing to back it, there's plenty of discussion around what comes next.
Some players, like Ian Poulter, have said that time is running out for LIV to arrange more funding. Bryson DeChambeau, arguably the tour's biggest star, has seemingly been keeping his options open. While it appears likely that Jon Rahm, the other big star on LIV, may try to bolt and return to the PGA Tour sooner rather than later. Even if it includes substantial financial penalties.
Given all the discussion, it's not surprising that one of the most prominent figures in the PGA-LIV battle was asked his thoughts about it, again, at the BMW Championship in St. Louis.
During media availability on Wednesday, Rory McIlroy was asked about LIV golfers returning to the PGA Tour and whether they'd provide value by returning, and gave just about the snarkiest possible answer.
"I mean, I’d argue have they brought value to LIV?" he said. "I think the PGA Tour's in a really good spot."
McIlroy added a bit more context, saying that while he's not involved with whatever negotiations might be happening, he's confident that whatever deal they get may not be as lenient as the one Brooks Koepka got.
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"I mean, look, eventually they will," McIlroy said. "I'm not part of these discussions, but I'm pretty sure they're not going to be welcomed back straight away. If they were offered this returning member program back in February, the one that Brooks took, then maybe. But that has sort of come and gone.
"And I think it was said at the time that the deal that they might get going forward, if they do decide to come back, isn't going to be as good as the one that Brooks got. So, yeah, I would say it's going to be a tough, tough road back."
To an extent, McIlroy is right. If Rahm, DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Tyrell Hatton or even Phil Mickelson were enough of a draw on their own, LIV wouldn't be in the situation it's in. On the other hand, some of LIV's apparent failure comes down to the business model itself.
They paid out massive purses and guarantees that were unsupported by ratings and fan attendance, in an effort to entice top stars to leave the tour. They offered equity to players in their LIV team, as though they would eventually become meaningful franchises people were attached to, like the Lakers or Yankees. Even though that might take years, if not decades, if it ever happened at all. An unlikely proposition considering golf is very different from traditional team sports.
Then there was the other problem; fans are used to the courses on the PGA Tour. They know Torrey Pines and Riviera, Pebble Beach and Bay Hill, or TPC Sawgrass and Muirfield Village. LIV went to some very high quality courses, but without the history and tradition that many fans appreciate. International events were popular, including in Australia and South Africa, but that's clearly not enough to support the financial model LIV used.
Still, you could make the case that if those stars were big enough, maybe it would have.
In sharp contrast to McIlroy, Scheffler was asked a similar question and gave a much more magnanimous answer. He said LIV has some "really good" players that would, in fact, provide "a lot" of value in a return to the PGA.
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"When we talk about the best players, LIV has a few players that are really good," Scheffler said. "I think the depth that we have on our tour is unmatched, but I think when you look at the higher levels of LIV Golf there’s definitely some players that would provide a lot of value to the tour, and guys that I love competing against as well."
Rahm and DeChambeau in particular would inarguably provide value to the PGA Tour. They have fanbases, are in the prime of their careers, are consistent contenders in big tournaments or major championships, and in DeChambeau's case, have an existing competitive rivalry with McIlroy.
It's also odd that McIlroy would make this argument when Rahm and Hatton are key members of the European Ryder Cup teams. The narrative on Europe's dominance in that event is that the players are all closer than the U.S. team, and that their desire to win gives them an intangible advantage. Now McIlroy's bad mouthing two of Europe's best players. Doesn't seem like they're that close, does it?
Regardless, as McIlroy said, it seems inevitable there'll be a reunion. How and when? Well, that's still up for debate.