Rory McIlroy expresses doubts about LIV Golf’s future in a podcast and talks about former players returning to the PGA Tour.
Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy shared his skepticism about the long-term prospects of the LIV Golf League during a more than 60-minute episode of the \”Stick to Football\” podcast series by the English channel The Overlap, released on Friday. The league is funded by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). McIlroy discussed his fundamental stance on LIV Golf and explained why he has no personal connection to the league. He also addressed the possibility that former PGA Tour players might return.
The five-time major winner and one of LIV Golf’s sharpest critics since its 2022 inception speculated that the PIF might consider shutting down the newly founded league entirely if it does not generate profits in the long run. McIlroy said: \”I don’t know, but if LIV fails to excite viewers and they’ve invested so much money in the project without it paying off, I don’t know how long they can keep it going.\”
Although LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil announced at the end of October 2025 that the league had raised around half a billion euros in sponsorship revenue over the past ten months, it remains unclear when profitability might be achieved. The \”Money in Sport\” newsletter projected in May 2025 that the Saudi PIF’s investments would rise to five billion US dollars by the end of 2025. The following October also revealed that the league’s UK branch had recorded an overall loss of 1.1 billion US dollars between its start and the end of 2024, with 450 million US dollars alone in 2024.
McIlroy: \”I Don’t Like What LIV Golf Has Done to Our Sport\”
\”I don’t like what LIV Golf has done to our sport because it has caused this massive divide. Last time on this podcast I said I might have been a bit quick to judge the guys who went there because not everyone is in the same situation as I am,\” McIlroy said, adding: \”When you’re offered double the money for the same work, it’s kind of hard to say no.\”
At the same time, McIlroy believes LIV Golf has so far failed to gain lasting appeal among fans and viewers but acknowledged the league contains some positive elements. He called himself a \”traditionalist\” and suspected this limits his mindset. Still,