McIlroy Says LIV Golf 'Wasted' Its Money as Bankruptcy Drags On

Rory McIlroy says professional golf's long civil war is effectively over, regardless of whether LIV Golf survives its Chapter 11 bankruptcy to launch a second iteration of the league. Speaking Tuesday at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, the six-time major champion argued that even a surviving LIV would no longer threaten the PGA Tour's standing in the sport.

Why does McIlroy think LIV's money was wasted?

McIlroy said the Saudi-backed league had a strong initial concept let down by execution, and that its capital could have gone toward golf's existing institutions rather than, in his view, simply paying already-wealthy tour pros more money. He also reflected on his and Tiger Woods' early opposition to LIV in 2022, when the pair had the most to lose reputationally within the PGA Tour, and noted their concern that LIV could pull players away from TGL, the tech-driven league they were launching at the time, since TGL required PGA Tour membership to compete.

What's happening to LIV's roster right now?

The exits have piled up fast. Jon Rahm, the league's three-time individual season champion, told a bankruptcy court his representatives will not bring him back for a LIV 2.0. David Puig and Adrian Meronk have also left, and Sergio Garcia had his LIV contract formally terminated in court, though he has left open the possibility of returning for LIV 2.0. Those departures come as LIV Golf and BC Partners Global filed a restructuring agreement under which BC Partners would make an initial investment toward $300 million in total financing meant to carry the league out of bankruptcy.

Adding pressure, DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings said this week that any player who signs on for LIV 2.0 will be barred from DP World Tour events in 2027, closing off the dual-membership path some players had been considering. Players have until Oct. 25 to commit to LIV 2.0.

"LIV had probably like half of a good idea that was executed pretty poorly," McIlroy said.

Could LIV players find their way back to the PGA Tour?

That remains unresolved. Rolapp has said the Returning Member Program that allowed Brooks Koepka to rejoin the PGA Tour in January is no longer an option, and that the tour won't engage with any player seeking a return until it's certain their LIV contractual obligations have ended. At last week's Baycurrent Classic, Xander Schauffele said any decision on reinstatement will be contentious among the tour's roughly 225 card holders, who hold sharply different views on how returning LIV players should be treated. McIlroy, for his part, said he'd favor bringing them back, arguing it would benefit the business of the tours overall.

Rolapp last addressed the topic in September, as LIV's bankruptcy case began and before the recent wave of player exits.