Rory McIlroy expresses doubts about LIV Golf’s future and discusses returning players to the PGA Tour in a recent podcast.
In a more than 60-minute episode of the \”Stick to Football\” podcast series on the English channel ‘The Overlap‘ released on Friday, Northern Irish professional golfer Rory McIlroy voiced skepticism about the long-term future of the LIV Golf League, which is funded by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). McIlroy discussed his overall stance on LIV Golf and explained why he has no personal connection with the league. He also touched on the possibility that former PGA Tour players might return to the tour.
The five-time major winner and one of LIV Golf’s most vocal critics since its inception in 2022 suggested that the PIF might consider shutting down the newly founded league entirely if it does not become profitable in the long run. McIlroy said, \”I don’t know, but if LIV can’t excite the fans, and they have invested so much money into this project without payback, I don’t know how long they can sustain it.\”
Even though LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil announced at the end of October 2025 that the league had secured around half a billion euros in sponsorship revenue over the past ten months, it remains unclear when profits might be realized. The ‘Money in Sport’ newsletter forecasted in May 2025 that the Saudi state fund PIF’s investments would grow to five billion US dollars by the end of 2025. Furthermore, it was disclosed in October that the league’s UK branch posted a total loss of 1.1 billion US dollars between its launch and the end of 2024, with 450 million US dollars attributed to 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 has caused a massive divide. I said in the last podcast that maybe I was a bit too quick to judge the guys who went there, because not everyone is in the same position as me,\” McIlroy said, adding, \”When you’re offered double the money for the same job, it’s kind of hard to say no.\”
He also believes LIV Golf has so far failed to gain sustainable appeal among fans but acknowledged the league has some positive aspects. Calling himself a \”traditionalist,\” he suspected this might limit his thinking. He said, \”They came into the game saying, ‘We will be different, we will be this, we will