McIlroy Says LIV Had “Half of a Good Idea,” Would Welcome Players Back

Rory McIlroy described LIV Golf as having “half of a good idea” that was carried out poorly, and said he would support former PGA Tour players returning to the Tour. He made the remarks at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, according to the supplied report.

McIlroy said LIV had substantial financial resources but could have spent them more strategically. He also argued that the league could have worked with golf’s governing bodies rather than directing so much money toward professional players who, in his view, were already earning well. The remarks represented a more measured assessment than the strong criticism of LIV attributed to him during the period before and after its launch.

The source places LIV’s start in the years leading up to its inaugural event in June 2022. It describes McIlroy as among the league’s most vocal critics at the time, but says his position has softened in recent years. The article offers possible explanations for that shift, but does not establish McIlroy’s personal reasons; those suggestions should not be treated as confirmed.

The report also says the Saudi Public Investment Fund stopped financing LIV earlier in 2026 and that LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It characterizes the league’s future as uncertain. Those financial developments form the backdrop to McIlroy’s comments, but the supplied material does not provide additional details about the bankruptcy filing, its proceedings or the amount of any outstanding obligations.

On whether LIV players should be allowed to return to the PGA Tour, McIlroy answered yes. He said their return could benefit the business of the tours and described the effect as one that could lift the broader sport. The article says he had previously called a return “good business” in May, and presents his forum response as consistent with that earlier view.

McIlroy’s comments address both LIV’s business approach and the possible place of its players in the PGA Tour. He did not, in the quoted remarks provided, specify conditions for a return or describe a formal policy. The supplied account likewise does not report a decision by the PGA Tour on whether or how former LIV players might rejoin.