Rory McIlroy has again sunk the boot into LIV Golf amid the rebel tour’s collapse, pinpointing exactly what he thinks went wrong to leave the league bankrupt.
But LIV’s fiercest opponent since its inception also offered an olive branch to golfers seeking a return to the main tour, saying he would vote in favour of allowing them back.
The league’s demise has been long predicted following the announcement early this year that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund would be withdrawing its financial support.
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LIV filed for bankruptcy protection in September after cancelling its planned season finale in Michigan, and while a $300 million backing from investment firm BC Partners has kept hope alive, the recent departure of one of its biggest stars in Jon Rahm was a further hammer blow.
Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, McIlroy, the most ardent of the PGA Tour’s loyalists since the rebel league was formed in 2022, said the competition had been run “pretty poorly” – though he did concede the idea behind it had some merit.
“LIV had probably half of a good idea that was executed pretty poorly,” he said.
“They had a lot of capital, but I think a lot of that capital was wasted in some ways.
“They could have used that money a lot more strategically and they could have partnered with some of the governing bodies with the game.
“They certainly could have done better things with it instead of just enriching tour pros that were already making a lot of money.”
LIV burst onto the scene and drew international headlines for the sheer volume of money they offered to some of world golf’s biggest names to get them to switch allegiances.
Rahm was handed a $300 million contract, while Phil Mickelson hit $200 million on his deal despite being well north of 50 when the league launched.
McIlroy, for his part, has denied a report that he rejected an eye-watering $850 million offer.
However, much of those funds have failed to arrive, with Rahm reportedly owed up to $150 million of his initial contract, while late or unpaid prizemoney and appearance fees amounted to more than $60 million when LIV filed for bankruptcy.
Australian Cameron Smith was the fourth-highest debtor, owed north of $4.8 million.
LIV CEO Scott O’Neil has remained publicly adamant that the league will continue into a new era he has dubbed “LIV 2.0” – but McIlroy is far from convinced.
“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.
“But if they do it is certainly not going to be a threat to the traditional order of the game as it once was.”
An announcement earlier this week from the European Tour has further escalated the league’s plight, having issued an ultimatum that any players continuing to stick by the LIV Tour in 2027 will be banned from competing.
“Players need to make a choice,” DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings told the BBC.
“Players who are not willing to comply with our rules and regulations should not be seeking to join our tour.”
However, McIlroy, who has criticised many LIV defectors, most notably old rival Bryson DeChambeau over the years, is in favour of offering an olive branch to those, like Rahm and Brooks Koepka before him, seeking to return to the fold.
“I’m sure some members who stayed loyal would feel hard done by if these guys can just walk straight back in,” he said.
“But on the other side, having these players back on the tour is good for business, and it can drive revenues up.
“Everyone can benefit from that.
“I would (vote to allow them back). A rising tide lifts all boats, and I think having some of these players back is beneficial for the business of the tours.”
However, six-time European Tour winner Joost Luiten is staunchly opposed to fences being mended, saying LIV players shouldn’t have an easy path back to mainstream golf.
“They made their decision and now they should deal with the consequences,” the Dutchman said ahead of the India Championship in Delhi.
He later told Today’s Golfer: “Four years ago they didn’t give a s*** about the DP World Tour. They made a decision to go after the money.
“And now all of a sudden, the money is gone and they want to come back and act like nothing happened,” Luiten said.
“I don’t think that’s right.”
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