Rory McIlroy says he would vote to let former LIV Golf players back on the PGA Tour, while describing the breakaway league as having had “half of a good idea that was executed pretty poorly”.
The six-time major champion made the comments at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi on Tuesday, where he is playing the DP World India Championship this week, Golfweek and Sky Sports reported.
Asked whether he would vote to welcome former LIV players back to the PGA Tour, McIlroy said: “Yes, I would. 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.”
‘Not going to be a threat’
LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund withdrew its support, and is trying to relaunch as LIV 2.0 with potential US$300 million backing from BC Partners.
Read more: DP World Tour Shuts Door on LIV Golf Players for 2027
McIlroy said the relaunch faced a tough road, with players continuing to walk away. “It looks like every day that goes by there’s another player that was on LIV who is not going to join LIV 2.0 so I think it is going to be very difficult to get out of this Chapter 11 bankruptcy and go forward,” he said, as reported by Sky Sports. “But if they do it is certainly not going to be a threat to the traditional order of the game as it once was.”
McIlroy added that LIV “had a lot of capital, but I think a lot of that capital was wasted in some ways”, and that it could have “partnered with some of the governing bodies of the game” instead of “just enriching tour pros that were already making a lot of money”, Golfweek reported.
McIlroy said the decision should rest with the tours’ members. “I think the thing that people have to realize is that 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?’” he said.
Read more: Golf: Jon Rahm Leaving LIV Golf Over ‘Unacceptable’ LIV 2.0 Terms
“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,” he said.
Not everyone agrees. Six-time DP World Tour winner Joost Luiten told Today’s Golfer, as reported by Sky Sports, that if returning players “think they are that good then show it at Q-School”.
Rahm out, deadlines loom
Jon Rahm has already said through his lawyer that he will not be part of LIV 2.0, while the DP World Tour will not accept members who intend to play on the relaunched league in 2027, a stance that affects Ryder Cup eligibility. The PGA Tour has typically issued one-year suspensions to players who joined LIV, CBS Sports noted.
McIlroy tees off at the DP World India Championship alongside Robert MacIntyre and defending champion Tommy Fleetwood at 7:15am local time on Thursday (12:45pm AEDT), according to Golfweek. He also announced this week that he has signed on as a Global Golf Ambassador for DP World.
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