McIlroy: LIV Golf was half a good idea
Rory McIlroy believes LIV Golf was "half a good idea, executed poorly" and the breakaway is no longer a threat to the traditional game as it tries to relaunch after filing for bankruptcy.
Key points
- Rory McIlroy calls LIV Golf a half-good idea that was executed poorly.
- LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after Saudi PIF withdrew support.
- DP World Tour will bar LIV players from membership and Ryder Cup eligibility.
Rory McIlroy has described LIV Golf as "half a good idea, executed poorly" and said the breakaway circuit is no longer a threat to the traditional game as it seeks to relaunch after filing for bankruptcy. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund invested £3.7bn over four years to attract players such as Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau from the PGA Tour, but withdrew its support this year.
That led to Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the United States, with plans to relaunch as LIV 2.0. BC Partners Capital has offered potential backing of $300m (£227m), provided a specified number of players re-sign for the new venture.
McIlroy's assessment
Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy forum in New Delhi, where he is playing this week in the DP World India Championship, McIlroy said LIV had a lot of capital but wasted much of it. He suggested the money could have been used more strategically and in partnership with governing bodies, rather than simply enriching tour professionals who were already earning well.
McIlroy added that with each passing day another former LIV player decides not to join LIV 2.0, making it very difficult to exit Chapter 11. Even if the relaunch succeeds, he said, it will not threaten the traditional order of the game as it once did.
LIV had probably like, half of a good idea that was executed pretty poorly
— Rory McIlroy
Players' return debated
The PGA Tour imposes a one-year suspension on players who quit LIV, denying them access until August next year. The DP World Tour has also tightened its rules, and McIlroy said its membership remains divided on whether returning players should be welcomed back.
McIlroy said he would vote for them to return, arguing that having these players back is good for business and can drive revenues up. However, six-time DP World Tour winner Joost Luiten disagreed, telling Today's Golfer that LIV players did not care about the DP World Tour four years ago and should not expect to return as if nothing happened.
