Rory McIlroy shares doubts about LIV Golf’s future and discusses former players’ return 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 Irish golfer Rory McIlroy expressed skepticism about the long-term future of the LIV Golf League. 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 touched on the possibility of former PGA Tour players making a return.
The five-time major winner and one of LIV Golf’s strongest critics since its inception in 2022 speculated that the PIF might consider shutting down the newly founded league entirely if the project does not eventually yield profits. McIlroy said, ‘I don’t know, but if LIV doesn’t capture the audience and they’ve pumped so much money into this project without it paying off, I don’t know how much longer they can sustain it.’
Although LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil revealed in late October 2025 that the league had taken in around half a billion euros in sponsorship money over the past ten months, it’s still unclear when profitability might be achieved. The newsletter ‘Money in Sport’ predicted in May 2025 that PIF investments would reach five billion US dollars by the end of 2025. Furthermore, it was reported in October that LIV Golf’s UK branch had posted a total loss of 1.1 billion US dollars from launch through the end of 2024, with 450 million US dollars of that loss coming 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 has caused a massive split. I said last time on this podcast that maybe I was a bit too quick to judge the guys who went over there because not everyone is in the same position as me,’ McIlroy said, adding, ‘If you’re offered double the money for the same work, it’s kind of hard to say no.’
McIlroy believes LIV Golf has yet to find sustainable support among fans and viewers but acknowledges that the league has certain positive elements. He described himself as a ‘traditionalist’ and suggested this might limit his perspective. Nevertheless,