Rory McIlroy has never been a big fan of LIV Golf and doesn\u2019t seem to mind that it could soon find itself in the rough.<\/p>\n
In an interview with the London-based outlet Telegraph Sport, the five-time major tournament champion teed off on the Saudi-backed men\u2019s pro tour, which made its debut in 2022 and has been a massive thorn in the PGA Tour\u2019s side ever since.<\/p>\n
LIV has lured several PGA Tour stars with huge contracts and bonuses, including Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia.<\/p>\n
But Koepka is coming back<\/a>, even before his LIV contract is up, and McIlroy told Telegraph Sport that the return of Koepka \u2014 also a five-time major winner \u2014 is another indication that the LIV Tour does not have a promising future.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not as if they made any huge signings this year, is it?\u201d McIlroy told Telegraph Sport on Thursday. \u201cThey haven\u2019t signed anyone who moves the needle and I don\u2019t think they will. I mean, they could re-sign Bryson (DeChambeau) for hundreds of millions of dollars, but even if they do, it doesn\u2019t change their product, does it? They\u2019ll just be paying for the exact same thing. And they\u2019ve lost Brooks, so they\u2019ll be paying out all this money and \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n LIV Golf has a different format<\/a> than traditional tours such as the PGA, LPGA and DP World tours. The tour consists of 13 teams of four players each, who, along with five wild-card players, make for a total of 57 players. The teams previously competed in 14 54-hole events each season for individual and team championships, but made a change to 72-hole tournaments for the upcoming 2026 season<\/a>.<\/p>\n McIlroy told Telegraph Sport he\u2019s happy to have Koepka back. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native will compete in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1. He must make a $5 million charitable donation and faces other restrictions under the PGA Tour\u2019s \u201cReturning Member Program,\u201d which was designed to lure back some LIV defectors.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is great as it gets Brooks back to where he belongs,\u201d McIlroy said. \u201cHe is one of the best players in the world, and anything that makes the traditional tours stronger is a good thing in my book.\u201d<\/p>\n McIlroy and the PGA Tour are also hoping that DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith return to the fold \u2014 although all three have already pledged to remain with LIV. There is a Feb. 2 deadline, but the PGA Tour could extend that to keep the door open for three of its top former players.<\/p>\n