Rory McIlroy has indicated the PGA Tour does not need LIV Golf’s biggest names…

Rory McIlroy has no apparent desire to see LIV Golf’s biggest stars return to the PGA Tour, indicating they failed to provide value to their own creaking league.

While LIV is in Indianapolis for a premature finale to its 2026 season, McIlroy is at the BMW Championship in St Louis aiming to improve on a galling start to the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Much of the attention inside the golf world, however, is focused on events at Chatham Hills as players wait to discover LIV’s fate without the backing of the Saudi Public Investment Fund next season.

The league is working on a reimagined ‘LIV 2.0’ – a model with a leaner schedule and reduced purses. But investment from a proposed “lead investor” that LIV says it has secured could hinge on the commitment of its most prominent names, including Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm.

McIlroy was asked if he would like to see LIV players back and whether they would provide value to the PGA Tour. “I’d argue, have they brought value to LIV?” McIlroy replied, flatly. “I think the PGA Tour is in a really good spot.”

Brooks Koepka found a path back to the PGA Tour via a contrived Returning Members Program at the start of the season, which was also made available to Rahm, DeChambeau and Cameron Smith. The trio remained with LIV and McIlroy opined that the ship has sailed for such a lenient return.

“I’m not part of these discussions, but I’m pretty sure they’re not going to be welcomed back straight away,” he added at Bellerive Golf Club, where he is hoping to improve on finishing 66th at last week’s FedEx St Jude Championship. 

“If they were offered this Returning Member Program back in February, the one that Brooks took, maybe. But that has come and gone. I think it was said at the time that the deal that they might get going forward, if they do decide to come back, isn’t going to be as good as the one that Brooks got. I’d say it’s going to be a tough, tough road back.”

McIlroy added: “I feel like I’ve kept my position consistent that LIV has never been a good thing for the game. Whatever 2.0 looks like – if it even happens, they say they’re trying to be more collaborative and all that – but this is the best platform for the top professional golfers in the world.

“Were there some things at the start of LIV that the PGA Tour could have done better? Sure, but I think that the guys that went, or you think back to the start with, like, say, Phil [Mickelson] was unhappy with some stuff – whatever it was – surely that just warranted a conversation instead of blowing the entire professional game up and doing something else. 

“I don’t take any personal satisfaction of people losing jobs. That doesn’t seem right. But I’ve always felt like this is the best place to play professional golf. And I’m pretty sure if the PGA Tour were handed $6billion, it would have done a better job of it.”