Rory McIlroy has broken his silence on LIV Golf losing its Saudi funding.
After the Saudi Public Investment Fund withdrew its support of LIV for the 2027 season and beyond, players are eyeing the exit door and a PGA Tour return.
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Bryson DeChambeau has been speaking with tour officials, and CEO Brian Rolapp said he’s spoken with a number of players who are exploring a comeback.
This has been a point of contention among PGA Tour players, many of whom don’t believe LIV players should be allowed to come back to the tour unpunished. Cameron Young said DeChambeau and Jon Rahm will likely not be offered the same deal as Brooks Koepka was.
Rory McIlroy, however, said it comes down to whatever the LIV players want to do. Some have said they have no intention of returning to the PGA Tour, to which McIlroy said, “This is, if you want to be the most competitive golfer you can be, this is the place to be. And if you don’t want to play here, I think that says something about you.”
As the discussion about LIV Golf often does, these comments divided the golfing world.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Golf fans can’t agree on Rory McIlroy’s LIV Golf comments
McIlroy has a distinct knack for splitting opinions among the golfing world. For some, these comments represented hypocrisy, coming from a player who didn’t play on the PGA Tour for three weeks after The Masters.
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One fan was quick to point this out, posting to X: “Says the guy who doesn’t even want to play in the PGAT and takes $4mil appearances fees in India.”
Another agreed, adding, “Last time I checked, he’s skipped more events than he’s played, might only play about 14 times this year like the LIV guys but he’s the media darling.”
One fan thinks that McIlroy should want the likes of DeChambeau and Rahm to return: “Rory should be begging the stars who went to LIV to come back, PGAT leaderboards are often utter garbage, and his wins mean less without the best players there.”
Some fans came to McIlroy’s defense, however, saying that people will always find a way to criticize him no matter what he says. One fan posted, “Rory could say ‘get a good nights sleep is important’ and all the biggest losers in the world would appear to point out that he doesn’t play in every event.
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“And it wouldn’t be any more incoherent an argument”.
Another fan was happy to see McIlroy irritating the LIV fans, posting, “I love when Rory says things like this because 1) it’s obviously true, and 2) it makes his haters absolutely lose their mind with anger”.
These comments could be seen as a shot at DeChambeau, who has threatened to leave competitive golf for YouTube full-time.
“The rivalry between DeChambeau and McIlroy has been one of the most compelling in the sport’s history, and one fan is delighted to see that it might be continuing: “I know this wasn’t the intention of his comment, but I love the idea that there is a rivalry between Bryson and Rory.
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“As of right now, they seem to be the biggest golfers in the world, and any tensions between them (real or not) can only be a net positive”.
What Rory McIlroy got wrong with his LIV Golf comments
McIlroy is right that some LIV players are hesitant to return to the PGA Tour, and in some cases, that might be because they don’t want to compete in the pressure-packed environment.
For many others, it feels more like a point of principle. Coming back to the PGA Tour, especially when they’re likely to face consequences similar to or stricter than the ones Brooks Koepka faced, would require an immense swallowing of pride.
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For years, LIV players have said the LIV model is superior, while firing criticism at the PGA Tour. Phil Mickelson and DeChambeau were even among a number of players to file a lawsuit against the tour after joining LIV.
So coming back to the PGA Tour, on the tour’s terms, no less, is something that many won’t be willing to accept. Not from a competitive standpoint, but likely because of the dent it would put in their ego.
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