Rory McIlroy expresses doubts about LIV Golf’s future in a podcast and comments on former players returning to the PGA Tour.
In a podcast episode of over 60 minutes from the series ‘Stick to Football’ on the English channel ‘The Overlap‘, released last Friday, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy raised doubts about the long-term future of the LIV Golf League, which 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 returning.
The five-time major winner and one of LIV Golf’s sharpest critics since its founding in 2022 speculated that the PIF might consider shutting the newly established league down entirely if the project fails to generate profits in the long run. McIlroy said, ‘I don’t know, but if LIV can’t captivate the audience and they have invested so much money into this project without returns, 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 about half a billion euros in sponsorship revenues over the past ten months, it remains unclear when profits will be realized. The newsletter ‘Money in Sport’ projected in May 2025 that PIF investments would grow to five billion USD by the end of 2025. In the following October, it was reported that the league’s UK branch had already booked a total loss of 1.1 billion USD between its launch and the end of 2024, with 450 million USD of this loss occurring 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 divide. Last time on this podcast, I said I might have been too quick to judge the guys who went over there, as 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 spectators but noted that the league does have some positive elements. He called himself a ‘traditionalist’ and suspected this may limit his perspective. Nevertheless, he said, ‘They came in and said: “We’ll be different, we’ll be this, we’ll be that.” Even changing from 54 to 72 holes to gain world ranking points is basically just doing what everyone else does.’ He questioned, ‘So what’s really different—besides the money?’