Rory McIlroy is no longer opposed to LIV Golf players returning to the PGA Tour, but he said Friday that \u201cit\u2019s a question of if they do want to come back\u201d.<\/p>\n
McIlroy said the answer will probably depend on what happens with LIV\u2019s financial situation<\/a> in the coming months.<\/p>\n Last month, Saudi Arabia\u2019s sovereign wealth fund pulled the plug<\/a> on future funding for LIV Golf, which had lured away stars including Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau with lucrative, guaranteed contracts. LIV\u2019s uncertain future raises new questions about whether some players should be allowed to return to the PGA Tour \u2013 and if so, under what set of rules or penalties.<\/p>\n The PGA Tour recently offered a temporary path back for some LIV players. Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka took advantage<\/a> of the opportunity. Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are among the players who remain under contract with LIV beyond this season.<\/p>\n However, Rahm resolved his financial dispute<\/a> with the European tour, known commercially as the DP World Tour. That move potentially gives him a place to compete in 2027 and beyond.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it is a scenario where they have the option to come back and play on the traditional tours, I think [PGA Tour CEO] Brian Rolapp has said anything that makes this tour stronger, anything that makes the DP World Tour stronger, I think everyone should be open to that,\u201d McIlroy said after finishing his second round at the Truist Championship in Charlotte. \u201cThat\u2019s just good business practice.\u201d<\/p>\n For now, McIlroy, like most in golf, is in a wait-and-see mode \u2013 although he expressed skepticism about the rival tour raising enough money to continue in its current form.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re going to go and try and find alternative investment, whatever that may look like,\u201d the six-time major winner said. \u201cBut when one of the wealthiest sovereign wealth funds in the world thinks that you\u2019re too expensive for them, that sort of says something.\u201d<\/p>\n McIlroy, the No 2 player in the world, has become the face of the game along with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler. He has been an outspoken critic in the past of players who bolted for big paydays that came with joining the Saudi-backed tour.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously the guys over there are under contract and if they are able to keep it going and get a schedule together next year, it seems like those guys are still going to play the majority of their golf on LIV, in whatever form it takes,\u201d McIlroy said.<\/p>\n DeChambeau\u2019s contract with LIV is up after the season and he has reportedly asked for a new, $500m deal. The two-time major champion has rebutted reports<\/a> that he had started talks on a possible return to the PGA Tour, calling them \u201ccompletely untrue\u201d, and said this week he would focus on his YouTube channel<\/a> should LIV not survive.<\/p>\n The PGA Championship, the second major of the year, is next week outside Philadelphia. DeChambeau, Rahm and three-time winner Koepka will all participate, as will two-time winner McIlroy and reigning champion Scheffler.<\/p>\n