Rory McIlroy didn’t hold back when asked about LIV golfers who’d rather walk away from the sport than rejoin the PGA Tour.
Speaking after his second round at the Truist Championship yesterday, the Northern Irishman delivered a pointed assessment of players reluctant to return to traditional golf.
“If you want to be the most competitive golfer you can be, this is the place to be,” McIlroy said. “And if you don’t want to play here, I think that says something about you.”
The four-time major winner was responding to comments from LIV’s Anirban Lahiri, who claimed he knows “a dozen LIV players who’d rather quit golf than return to the PGA Tour.”
Rory McIlroy took a pop at LIV Golf rebels who said they’d rather quit the sport than return to the PGA
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McIlroy’s comments come amid major upheaval for the breakaway league.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced last month it would pull the plug on LIV Golf funding when the 2026 season wraps up.
The sovereign wealth fund has already poured a staggering $5 billion into the venture over five years, but stated the “substantial investment is no longer consistent with the current phase of PIF’s investment strategy.”
McIlroy couldn’t resist a dig at the situation.
“When one of the wealthiest sovereign wealth funds in the world thinks that you’re too expensive for them, that sort of says something,” he remarked.
LIV Golf star Anirban Lahiri said he knew a “dozen golfers who’d rather quit” than return to the PGA Tour
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LIV CEO Scott O’Neil now faces the challenge of finding alternative backers to keep the league alive.
The 37-year-old also showed a softer side, admitting he’d been harsh on colleagues who jumped ship to the Saudi-backed circuit.
“I was probably too judgmental with the guys that went because I was seeing it from my point of view and maybe not seeing it from other points of view,” McIlroy acknowledged.
He made clear he won’t criticise anyone for steering clear of the PGA Tour.
“I’m not going to judge anyone for not wanting to play on the PGA Tour,” he said.
But his core message remained firm: the American circuit is where golfers who truly want to compete at the highest level should be playing.
With LIV’s future uncertain, attention has turned to how players might find their way back to established tours.
Rory McIlroy went on to reveal that he did won’t criticise anyone for steering clear of the PGA Tour
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McIlroy noted that PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has indicated openness to anything strengthening both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
“That’s just good business practice,” McIlroy said.
However, he acknowledged significant hurdles remain, with LIV players still bound by contracts.
“There’s going to be a lot of bridges to cross to get there,” he explained, adding that if LIV manages to continue, most players will likely stick with the breakaway circuit.
McIlroy suggested the DP World Tour could offer another route home, noting it’s his home tour and he’d welcome anything making it stronger.