Rory McIlroy expresses doubts about the future of LIV Golf and discusses possible returns to the PGA Tour in a podcast.
In a podcast episode over 60 minutes long from the series ‘Stick to Football’ on the English channel ‘The Overlap‘, released on Friday, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy voiced doubts about the long-term future of the LIV Golf League, which is funded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). McIlroy discussed his fundamental stance towards LIV Golf and explained why he has no personal connection to the league. He also touched upon the possibility that former PGA Tour players might return.
The five-time major champion and one of LIV Golf’s sharpest critics since its founding in 2022 speculated that the PIF might consider shutting down the newly established league altogether if the project does not yield long-term profits. McIlroy stated, ‘I don’t know, but if LIV doesn’t manage to excite viewers, and they have invested so much money into this project without return, I don’t know how much longer they can sustain it.’
Although LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil announced at the end of October 2025 that the league had generated around half a billion euros in sponsorship revenue over the past ten months, it remains unclear when profitability might be achieved. The newsletter ‘Money in Sport’ predicted as early as May 2025 that investments from the Saudi PIF would grow to five billion US dollars by the end of 2025. Additionally, it became known in October that the league’s UK branch recorded a total loss of 1.1 billion US dollars between its launch and the end of 2024, with 450 million US dollars in losses in 2024 alone.
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 caused this massive division. I said last time on this podcast that I might have been a bit too quick to judge the guys who went there because not everyone is in the same situation as me,’ said McIlroy, adding, ‘If you are 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, although he acknowledges the league contains some positive elements. He described himself as a ‘traditionalist’ and suspected that this might limit his way of thinking. Nevertheless, he said, ‘They came in and said, “We will be different, we will be