Rory McIlroy predicts players will leave LIV Golf and seek opportunities elsewhere, as he questioned the appeal of the rebel league's revamped circuit after it announced it had filed for bankruptcy protection. On Tuesday, LIV Golf said it was working with its new lead investor, BC Partners, to restructure and relaunch a new version of the league next year, dubbed LIV 2.0, and as part of that arrangement, it had filed for bankruptcy protection in a New Jersey Court. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player The move comes after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced in April it was cutting funding to the rebel league at the end of the 2026 season, after it had burned through $5bn (£3.6bn) over the past five years since its inception in 2021.
Sky News understands that LIV Golf players are currently holding negotiations with the league over whether they will continue to play on the circuit into 2027 or leave. Stars including Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau have previously been coy on their futures, but the former told reporters on Tuesday that he had a contract with LIV Golf that he was "more than willing to fulfil". While McIlroy has previously warned it could be a 'tough road back' to the DP World Tour and PGA Tour for LIV Golf players, he added on Wednesday that their addition would only help to make the tours more competitive.
"I'm not in their shoes, but LIV 1.0 at the start looked a lot more attractive than what LIV 2.0 might be from a financial standpoint," McIlroy said ahead of this week's Amgen Irish Open. "I'm not trying to predict the future, but I would predict that you'll see some guys leave [LIV Golf]. "That means other tours have decisions to make.
Obviously there's a lot of players on LIV that can strengthen golf tournaments and make them more competitive. So I would see that as a good thing for the DP World Tour." Rahm and his Legion XIII team-mate Tyrrell Hatton are both set to tee up at the Amgen Irish Open, and will also play at next week's BMW PGA Championship. And McIlroy believes the inclusion of LIV players going forward will only make the DP World Tour stronger.
"The health of the DP World Tour is in a really good spot," McIlroy added. "They have a wonderful alliance with the PGA Tour. I think that alliance is only going to get stronger, especially with the PGA Tour committing to working with the DP World Tour for some of these international events at this time of the year going forward.
"So you have PGA Tour players really with nothing to do for five months in this period. If whoever else is incorporated into these tournaments, that makes them more competitive. "Overall, with the way things are working out, it's a very good thing for the golf ecosystem.
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