McIlroy says LIV return would be good business for PGA Tour
Rory McIlroy said bringing LIV players back would be good business, even as Saudi funding uncertainty rattles the breakaway circuit. Brooks Koepka is already back.
Rory McIlroy has turned the LIV Golf reunion debate into a question of value, saying the PGA Tour should welcome defectors back if their return makes the circuit stronger. Speaking in Charlotte, North Carolina, after his second round at the Truist Championship, McIlroy said bringing those players home would be “good business practice” for the PGA Tour.
That argument goes beyond one player’s opinion. It puts star power, television value and sponsorship appeal ahead of the moral and institutional fight that has defined golf’s split since LIV launched. McIlroy, the world No. 2 and one of the game’s most visible voices, said he is no longer opposed to returning LIV players, but he framed the issue around whether they actually want to come back and whether the traditional tours would benefit if they do.
His comments landed as LIV’s financial future looks increasingly fragile. Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund pulled future funding for LIV Golf last month, and McIlroy said he is skeptical the league can raise enough money to keep operating in its current form. If that uncertainty deepens, the economics of reunification could shift quickly in the PGA Tour’s favor, especially if returning stars can be used to lift television windows, corporate interest and event relevance.
The framework for that possibility already exists. The June 6, 2023 agreement between the PGA Tour, LIV and the Public Investment Fund created a path for LIV players to reapply for PGA Tour and DP World Tour membership after the 2023 season. That deal did not immediately end the divide, but it established the governing logic now resurfacing: the tours can absorb former rebels if the commercial upside outweighs the disruption.
The PGA Tour has since added a Returning Member Program, an expedited route back for some former LIV players. Brooks Koepka has already used it to return, and Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith have been identified as the other LIV stars who currently meet the eligibility criteria. McIlroy also noted that Rahm has settled a financial dispute with the DP World Tour, a development that could affect his ability to play on traditional tours beyond 2027.
McIlroy, who once criticized players for taking LIV’s guaranteed money, said he had been “probably too judgmental” and added that LIV is “not for me.” He said he is not going to judge anyone who does not want to play on the PGA Tour, but his broader message was clear: if the return of elite LIV names strengthens the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour, the business case may now outweigh the old battle lines.
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