Rory McIlroy expresses doubts about LIV Golf’s future and discusses potential returns 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‘, which was 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 Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). McIlroy discussed his general stance towards LIV Golf and explained why he has no personal connection to the league. He also addressed the possibility of former PGA Tour players returning.
The five-time major champion and one of LIV Golf’s harshest critics since its inception in 2022 speculated that the PIF might consider shutting down the newly founded league entirely if it fails to generate long-term profits. McIlroy said: ‘I don’t know, but if LIV fails to excite fans, and they’ve 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 earned around half a billion euros in sponsorship funds over the past ten months, it remains unclear when profits might be realized. The newsletter ‘Money in Sport’ projected in May 2025 that PIF’s investments would increase to five billion USD by the end of 2025. In the following October, it was also revealed that the league’s UK branch had recorded a total loss of 1.1 billion USD between its launch and the end of 2024, with 450 million USD of that in 2024 alone.
McIlroy: ‘I dislike what LIV Golf has done to our sport’
‘I dislike what LIV Golf has done to our sport because it caused a huge division. Last time on this podcast, I said maybe I was a bit hasty in my judgments about the guys who went there because not everyone is in the same position as me,’ McIlroy said, adding, ‘It’s kind of hard to turn down double the money for the same work.’
At the same time, McIlroy believes LIV Golf has yet to find lasting resonance with fans and viewers but acknowledged the league has some positive aspects. Calling himself a ‘traditionalist,’ he suggested this limits his perspective. However, he said, ‘They came in and said, ‘We will be different, we will be this