Rory McIlroy has long been one of LIV Golf's most outspoken critics, but he no longer sees the league as a serious threat to the future of professional golf.
McIlroy offered extensive comments on the state of the game during the 2026 Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, India on Tuesday, Oct. 13, revealing that his stance towards LIV Golf's premise and the golfers seeking a return to the PGA Tour has softened over time. It's in part because he's not optimistic LIV 2.0 will ever get off the ground given recent developments in U.S. bankruptcy court.
"It looks like every day that goes by, there's another player that was on LIV that says they're not going to join for LIV 2.0," McIlroy said ahead of playing in this week's DP World India Championship.
"So I think it is going to be very difficult for them to get out of this Chapter 11 bankruptcy and go forward. But if they do, it's certainly not going to be a threat to the traditional order of the game as it maybe once was."
Why Rory McIlroy wants LIV golfers back on PGA Tour
McIlroy answered "yes" when asked by Bloomberg's Mishal Husain if he's open to welcoming back LIV golfers wanting to return to the PGA Tour.
"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," McIlroy said.
He didn't offer a definitive opinion on whether he believes LIV Golf members should have to serve a penalty before potentially rejoining the PGA Tour. He notably mentioned, however, Jon Rahm is "going to commit to the DP World Tour and whatever path he needs to take to get back to the PGA Tour." Rahm's attorney announced in LIV Golf's bankruptcy court hearing last week that he won't participate in LIV 2.0.
McIlroy also declared "this period of trying to double dip and do both is over" in light of the DP World Tour's recent decision that LIV golfers will need to make a choice between playing on LIV 2.0 or the DP World Tour moving forward.
McIlroy previously praised Patrick Reed for how he handled his return to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf this past season. After serving a one-year suspension from PGA Tour events, Reed regained eligibility as a non-member in August and improved his PGA Tour status for 2027 through his performances on the DP World Tour. Under that framework, prominent LIV golfers such as Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton likely would not regain PGA Tour eligibility until 2028.
"Both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour are member organizations, and the leadership of both of those organizations needs to go to the members and say to them, 'Okay, what would you like to see?' " McIlroy said on Tuesday. "Because on one hand, I'm sure that some members that stayed loyal would hard done 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 and that can drive revenues up and then everyone can benefit from that."\
Rory McIlroy says LIV Golf had 'half of a good idea'
As McIlroy pondered LIV's demise, he was also prompted by Bloomberg's Mishal Husain to look back on his years-long criticism of how LIV's arrival fractured golf.
McIlroy said there are former European Ryder Cup teammates he's longer as close with because of the sport's divide, mostly because those that switched to LIV Golf stopped playing the same tournaments as everyone else on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. But he also acknowledged his own interests at stake four years ago, with he and Tiger Woods preparing to launch TGL, while discussing how they "were maybe the most vocal against (LIV)."
"But we were probably the two that had the most to lose, as well, in terms of our stature within the PGA Tour," McIlroy said. "Yes, I think we both felt that this wasn't good for the game and this was going to fracture the game. But also, everyone around the game has interests, and we were about to launch TGL, and we thought LIV could have taken something away from TGL, which it did because some players went to LIV and you had to be a PGA Tour member to play in TGL. So everyone has different interests in the game and you're trying to protect your interests, but you're also trying to protect the interests of the game as a whole."
"LIV had half a good idea that was executed pretty poorly."
— Bloomberg (@business) October 13, 2026
Former golf world number 1 Rory McIlroy tells Mishal Husain that Saudi Arabia's LIV Golf failed because it spent too much money "enriching tour pros" rather than building partnerships https://t.co/03HGHbOEHv pic.twitter.com/30nVmIetO4
McIlroy emphasized he doesn't believe LIV Golf will ultimately escape its bankruptcy proceedings after Rahm's decision to not take part in LIV 2.0. But he offered a more nuanced take on the situation than when LIV Golf initially disrupted the PGA Tour's status quo – a signal his views have evolved now that golf's civil war appears to be winding down.
"LIV had probably, like, half of a good idea that was executed pretty poorly," McIlroy said. "They had a lot of capital, but I think a lot of that capital was wasted in some ways, and I think they could have used that money a lot more strategically, and they could have partnered with some of the governing bodies of the game. They certainly could have done better things with it instead of just, you know, enriching tour pros that were already making a lot of money."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rory McIlroy wants LIV golfers back on PGA Tour, declares threat over
