Rory McIlroy Shades LIV Golf
Digest more
Speaking to The Telegraph of London on Thursday, McIlroy did not hold back.
Rory McIlroy delivers brutal LIV Golf verdict and a lack of star signings in 2026, as the Northern Irishman revels in Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour return.
Perhaps nobody on the PGA Tour was more outspoken against LIV than Rory McIlroy when the breakaway league was just getting started, and the five-time major champion doesn't seem to have much optimism regarding the Saudi Arabian-financed league's future.
LIV Golf is losing steam as it has been unable to attract new major signings to its roster while the return of former world number one Brooks Koepka to the PGA Tour is a huge blow for the Saudi-backed circuit,
Rory McIlroy got off to a fast start Thursday at his 2026 season debut in Dubai. He didn’t waste any time, either, in assessing the fallout of Brooks Koepka’s departure from LIV Golf and return to the PGA Tour.
The ‘Returning Member Program’ is only an option for players who have won a major championship or the Players Championship since the men’s game was split in two in 2022, meaning Smith was eligible courtesy of his triumphs at TPC Sawgrass and St Andrews that year.