Rory McIlroy has been one of LIV Golf's biggest critics since the banner's inception. A PGA Tour stalwart, the four-time major champion served as an unofficial ambassador for his side, while many other golfing stars ditched the long-standing tour for the lucrative prize money that LIV had to offer. But with recent talks of a merger between the PGA and LIV surfacing, the 35-year-old Northern Irishman has cooled off on his scathing critiques of the rival circuit.
The PGA Tour has been in talks over a peace deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has backed LIV since a shock framework agreement was announced back in June 2023. With the agreement, it is hoped that a merger will allow players from the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf league to play together. And McIlroy – who famously stated that he would rather retire than play under the LIV banner in 2023 – has seemingly softened his stance on the circuit as merger talks carry on. But how has his opinion changed over the years? Here Mirror Golf breaks it down...
LIV only launched in 2022, but a breakaway tour had been in the works for almost 10 years before its launch. LIV's precursor – the Premier Golf League – was conceived by Andrew Gardiner, who first reached out to McIlroy all the way back in 2014. However, McIlroy's stance was resolute from the off, explaining in 2020: "People are looking at it purely from a monetary standpoint. I would like to be on the right side of history with this one, just sort of as Arnold [Palmer] was with the whole Greg Norman thing in the '90s.
"Again, I value a lot of other things over money, and that's sort of my stance on it at this point. I didn't really like where the money was coming from either. I wanted to be the first one to speak out against it. I'm glad that I have. I'm glad that I've done that.". After LIV's launch, McIlroy grew increasingly frustrated at the prospect of a breakaway league which could challenge the PGA. And after seeing the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka sign up for the league, the pro expressed his contempt for LIV.
He told reporters in 2022: "I hate what it's doing to the game of golf, I hate it. I really do." Merger talks being reported in June 2023 – at first – didn't sway McIlroy either, as he reiterated: "I still hate LIV. I hope it goes away. And I would fully expect that it does. And I think that's where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF. Very different from LIV.".
Speaking in July 2023, McIlroy even went as far as admitting that he would rather retire than play under the LIV Golf banner. Speaking to press after the first round of the Scottish Open, McIlroy said: "If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on Earth, I would retire. That’s how I feel about it. I’d play the majors, but I’d be pretty comfortable.". It was claimed in April 2024 that McIlroy had received a £650million contract offer from LIV, which his camp were reportedly quick to dismiss. However, McIlroy later clarified during a chat with the Golf Channel that such reports were works of fiction, explaining: "I honestly don't know how these things get started.
"I've never been offered a number from LIV, and I've never contemplated going to LIV. Again, I think I've made it clear over the past two years that I don't think it's something for me. It doesn't mean that I judge people who have went and played over there.". McIlroy also backtracked on some of his scathing criticisms of LIV in 2024, explaining that he was only looking at the situation through his own eyes in the past rather than those of others who may see the league differently.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast in January 2024, he said: "I think, at this point, I was maybe a little judgmental of the guys who went to LIV Golf at the start, and I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realise that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Woods' position. "We all turn professional to make a living playing the sports that we do, and I think that's what I realised over the last two years. I can't judge people for making that decision.".
Meanwhile, in February 2024, McIlroy said that players under both banners should be permitted to go head-to-head more frequently, citing how it is "great for golf". Speaking ahead of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, McIlroy said: "I think life is about choices. "Guys made choices to go and play LIV, guys made choices to stay here. If people still have eligibility on this tour [PGA Tour] and they want to come back and play or you want to try and do something, let them come back.
"I think it's hard to punish people. I don't think there should be a punishment. Obviously, I've changed my tune on that, because I see where golf is and I see that having a diminished PGA Tour and having a diminished LIV Tour or anything else is bad for both parties. "It would be much better being together and moving forward together for the good of the game. That's my opinion of it. So to me, the faster that we can all get back together and start to play and start to have the strongest fields possible I think is great for golf.".
