Leading stars on the PGA Tour are reacting coldly to the prospect of LIV Golf players returning to the circuit.
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland said the tours may eventually merge but questioned what value LIV players would bring to the PGA Tour. He spoke at a news conference at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri, ahead of the BMW Championship, the second leg of the PGA Tour playoffs.
LIV Golf, launched in 2022, faces an uncertain future after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), its main financial backer, decided to end its funding after this year. LIV Golf canceled its planned season finale and halved the total prize money for this week's event in Indianapolis, which becomes the season's final tournament.
McIlroy has publicly criticized LIV Golf since its inception. "I question what value the players who left the PGA Tour added to LIV Golf. The PGA Tour is currently in a very good place," he said, adding that while LIV players would return to the PGA Tour at some point, they would not be welcomed.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the United States said appropriate penalties should apply if LIV players come back. "There are some great players on LIV Golf," he said. "I'd like to compete against them, but I think there clearly has to be some sort of penalty when they return."
Brooks Koepka of the United States, who returned to the PGA Tour this season, agreed to forfeit eligibility for this year's FedEx Cup bonus program as part of a deal with the tour. Patrick Reed of the United States can rejoin the PGA Tour late this month after completing a one-year suspension dating from his last LIV Golf appearance. Bryson DeChambeau of the United States and Jon Rahm of Spain, currently among LIV Golf's marquee names, are also expected to leave the circuit after this season.
Separately, LIV Golf Chief Executive Scott O'Neil said the tour would hold five team championships outside the United States and five individual events within the country in 2027. O'Neil said he had been in contact with potential investors in LIV Golf but did not name them.
