Rory McIlroy in favor of allowing former LIV Golf players to return to the DP World Tour and PGA Tour

After years of back-and-forth, McIlroy seems content with allowing those who left to come back

Oct 13, 2026 at 2:19 pm ET • 2 min read

If Rory McIlroy had a vote to allow former members of LIV Golf back on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, the six-time major champion would say, "yes." Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in New Delhi, India, ahead of this week's DP World Tour event, McIlroy touched on the evolving golf landscape and player movement between circuits as LIV Golf enters its next chapter.

"Yes, I would [let former LIV Golf players come back]," McIlroy said. "I think a rising tide lifts all boats, and I think having some of these players back is beneficial for the business of the Tours, absolutely."

One of LIV Golf's biggest draws the last few years, Jon Rahm, exited from the league last week. The two-time major champion's lawyer announced during the LIV Golf bankruptcy hearing that his client had no interest moving forward with LIV Golf 2.0 as he found the terms "unacceptable."

Rahm is one of a handful of LIV Golf players to have playing privileges on the DP World Tour, along with Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin and Adrian Meronk. Rahm will be able to play on the DP World Tour in 2027, but the PGA Tour may not be as welcoming, as the league has typically issued one-year suspensions to those who played on LIV Golf.

"I think the thing that people have to realize is that both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour are both membership organizations," McIlroy said. "And the leadership of both those organizations need to go to the members and say to them, 'OK, what would you like to see?'

"On one hand, I'm sure some members that stayed loyal would feel hard done by if these guys can just walk straight back in, but then on the other side, having these players back on your tour is very good for business and that can drive revenues up and then everyone can benefit from that. So, there certainly is a balance there."

McIlroy's comments come on the heels of the DP World Tour making it so that those players who participate on LIV Golf 2.0 would not be able to take up membership on the European circuit. The league had previously granted conditional releases for those who called LIV Golf home. 

The decision was made ahead of a Ryder Cup year, giving the move added importance, as a player must be a member of the DP World Tour to be eligible for the European Ryder Cup team.

"You see Guy Kinnings coming out this week and saying that if LIV does go ahead with this 2.0 version, players that are thinking of going that direction, they are going to have to make a choice. It's either you play LIV 2.0 and you can't play the DP World Tour or you play the DP World Tour and you can't play LIV 2.0. I think this period of trying to double dip and do both is over."