Rory McIlroy would vote to have LIV players back on PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy says he would vote to have LIV Golf defectors back on the PGA Tour and believes the breakaway circuit is no longer a threat to traditional tours.

Despite securing a possible $300m (£226m) in financing from BC Partners Credit, there is ongoing uncertainty around LIV's future, with two-time major winner Jon Rahm opting out of the tour.

McIlroy, one of LIV's most fierce critics since its inception in 2022, said the circuit could have "done better things" with its vast resources, having originally been bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund before it withdrew its backing this year.

"LIV had probably half of a good idea that was executed pretty poorly," world number two McIlroy told Bloomberg.

"They had a lot of capital but I think a lot of that capital was wasted in some ways. 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 enriching tour pros who were already making a lot of money."

Asked if he would vote for LIV players to return to the tours he plays on, the six-time major winner said: "Yes, I would.

"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, absolutely."

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On Monday, the DP World Tour said players who sign up to LIV's 2027 season will not be allowed to be members of the Europe-based circuit.

McIlroy, who was speaking to Bloomberg in New Delhi before playing in the DP World India Championship, added: "It looks like every day that goes by, there's another player that was on LIV who says that they're not going to rejoin for LIV 2.0.

"So I think it is going to be very difficult for them to get out of this Chapter 11 bankruptcy and go forward.

"If they do, it's certainly not going to be a threat to the traditional order of the game as maybe it once was."

As one of the PGA Tour's biggest stars, McIlroy immediately became a vocal opponent of LIV when it fractured men's professional golf four years ago.

Asked about his long-standing criticism, he said he and 15-time major winner Tiger Woods voiced their displeasure at LIV's emergence because "we were probably the two that had the most to lose".

"We both felt this wasn't good for the game and it was going to fracture the game," he added.

"But also, everyone around the game has interests and we were about to launch TGL (Tomorrow's Golf League) 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.

"Everyone has different interests in the game. You're trying to protect your interests but also the interests of the game as a whole."

McIlroy also admits he lost friends in the fallout of players leaving the PGA or DP World tours to join LIV.

"Yes, certainly people I played with on European Ryder Cup teams that I'm not as close with anymore.

"We had a difference of opinion on the future of golf but I don't think that's something to lose friends over, but we also just didn't see each other anymore.

"They didn't play the same tournaments, they weren't eligible for the Ryder Cup, they weren't qualifying for the major championships.

"When you don't live in the same places as these people, you lose touch."