McIlroy warns LIV Golf players of tough road back to PGA Tour

Masters champion Rory McIlroy believes players who defected to LIV Golf will encounter significant obstacles if they wish to return to the PGA Tour. Speaking ahead of the BMW Championship, McIlroy expressed skepticism about the value these players would add to the U.S.-based circuit.

"I would argue, have they brought value to LIV?" McIlroy asked reporters at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri. "I think the PGA Tour's in a really good spot."

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I would argue, have they brought value to LIV? You know? I think the PGA Tour's in a really good spot.

LIV Golf is concluding its 2026 season and recently announced a new lead investor, aiming for future funding independent of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. However, the future of major champions like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm with LIV remains uncertain, and they might seek a return to the PGA Tour.

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If they were offered this returning member program back in February, the one that Brooks took, then, yeah, maybe. But that has sort of come and gone.

Brooks Koepka successfully rejoined the PGA Tour in early 2026 through a limited-time Returning Member Program. His return came with a substantial financial penalty: a five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour's Player Equity Program, estimated between $50-85 million. DeChambeau, Rahm, and Cameron Smith were also eligible for this program, which closed in February.

McIlroy indicated that any additional returning players would likely not receive the same favorable terms as Koepka. "If they were offered this returning member program back in February, the one that Brooks took, then, yeah, maybe. But that has sort of come and gone," he said. "And I think it was said at the time that the deal that they might get going forward, if they do decide to come back, isn't going to be as good as the one that Brooks got. So, yeah, I would say it's going to be a tough, tough road back."

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And I think it was said at the time that the deal that they might get going forward, if they do decide to come back, isn't going to be as good as the one that Brooks got. So, yeah, I would say it's going to be a tough, tough road back.