McIlroy questions the value LIV players could bring to PGA Tour amid league's funding woes

Rory McIlroy said at the BMW Championship that the leading LIV Golf players have not yet shown they would add value to the PGA Tour if they were to return. He asked, “I mean, I’d argue have they brought value to LIV?”

LIV Golf faces an uncertain future after its Indianapolis event, the league’s final tournament of the year, will be the last without financing from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. CEO Scott O’Neil said the organization is planning a “LIV 2.0” model that would make players equity owners and restore their commercial rights, with a schedule that includes five overseas team championships and five U.S. individual events placed near the majors. He did not disclose the identity of the lead investor, though media reports have linked the deal to Ted Goldthorpe of BC Partners, and he gave no details on the size or deadline of the proposed investment.

The league’s two remaining marquee names, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, have contracts that expire in 2027 and this year respectively. Both are two-time major champions and are considered critical to LIV’s future.

The PGA Tour has already offered former LIV member Brooks Koepka a conditional return that excludes participation in $20 million signature events unless he qualifies, requires a $5 million charitable contribution, and removes equity rights. The tour has extended a similar proposal, with a two-week decision window, to Rahm, DeChambeau and Cameron Smith.

“When we talk about the best players, LIV has a few players that are really good,” said world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. “I think the depth that we have on our tour is unmatched, but I think 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… So I think going forward there obviously has to be, I think, some sort of penalties.”

Scheffler noted that any penalties for returning players would be determined by PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp.

McIlroy, who has long criticized LIV, said he is not involved in the negotiations but expects that any return offers will be less favorable than the deal given to Koepka, describing the path back as “a tough, tough road.”

LIV also faces at least two pending lawsuits from vendors seeking more than $1 million each for unpaid services related to its broadcast technology and media preview production. O’Neil said the league is working to resolve the claims and that future business will operate under a different model.