Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Rory McIlroy on Wednesday questioned whether Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm had ever “brought value” to LIV Golf, as the divisive rival tour scrambles to reinvent itself and speculation mounts that its stars could jump ship. Having lost its deep-pocketed Saudi backers, breakaway series LIV this week was forced to cancel its season-ending team championship event in a bid to stay afloat into next year, when it is exploring a slimmed-down schedule.
Asked whether LIV’s biggest stars should be allowed to return to the PGA Tour — as has been widely rumored — and if they would “bring value,” McIlroy was dismissive. “I mean, I would argue, have they brought value to LIV? You know?” said McIlroy. DeChambeau and Rahm were among the most prominent and highly paid defectors to LIV Golf. LIV reportedly received more than $5 billion from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund between 2021-2026, before it pulled the plug.
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Six-time major winner McIlroy has remained steadfastly loyal to the traditional PGA Tour and an outspoken critic of LIV. “I feel like I’ve kept my position consistent that LIV has never been a good thing for the game,” said McIlroy on Wednesday, ahead of the BMW Championship in Missouri. While former LIV stars like Brooks Koepka have recently accepted deals to return to the PGA Tour, McIlroy predicted it will be “a tough, tough road back” for LIV’s top holdouts.
World number one Scottie Scheffler had offered a more diplomatic answer when asked earlier Wednesday about the possibility of LIV stars returning to the PGA fold. “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,” he said.
Meanwhile, LIV officials continued to express optimism about their tour’s viability, despite reports that multiple players and vendors are owed money. LIV has touted a “2.0” version going forward under new investors, including a shorter season, with smaller prize pots, but offering its players greater equity.
At a press conference Wednesday ahead of LIV’s Indianapolis tournament, chief executive officer Scott O’Neil outlined proposals for “five marquee team championships on each of the five continents we play. There would also be “five team signature events, predominantly in the US and positioned around major championships.” He confirmed that LIV players had been given a deadline to sign up for next season but declined to provide details.
“I have a good level of confidence in my conversation that we’ll have a critical mass of the right players to move this league forward.” McIlroy, though, expressed skepticism about “whatever 2.0 looks like, if it even happens.” “I don’t take any personal satisfaction of people like losing jobs,” he added. “Like, that doesn’t seem right.”
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