Rory McIlroy predicts players will 'leave LIV Golf' as he questions appeal of revamped league

Rory McIlroy predicts players will leave LIV Golf and seek opportunities elsewhere, as he questioned the appeal of the rebel league's revamped circuit after it announced it had filed for bankruptcy protection.

On Tuesday, LIV Golf said it was working with its new lead investor, BC Partners, to restructure and relaunch a new version of the league next year, dubbed LIV 2.0, and as part of that arrangement, it had filed for bankruptcy protection in a New Jersey Court.

The move comes after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced in April it was cutting funding to the rebel league at the end of the 2026 season, after it had burned through $5bn (£3.6bn) over the past five years since its inception in 2021.

Sky News understands that LIV Golf players are currently holding negotiations with the league over whether they will continue to play on the circuit into 2027 or leave.

Stars including Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau have previously been coy on their futures, but the former told reporters on Tuesday that he had a contract with LIV Golf that he was "more than willing to fulfil".

While McIlroy has previously warned it could be a 'tough road back' to the DP World Tour and PGA Tour for LIV Golf players, he added on Wednesday that their addition would only help to make the tours more competitive.

"I'm not in their shoes, but LIV 1.0 at the start looked a lot more attractive than what LIV 2.0 might be from a financial standpoint," McIlroy said ahead of this week's Amgen Irish Open.

"I'm not trying to predict the future, but I would predict that you'll see some guys leave [LIV Golf].

"That means other tours have decisions to make. Obviously there's a lot of players on LIV that can strengthen golf tournaments and make them more competitive. So I would see that as a good thing for the DP World Tour."

Rahm and his Legion XIII team-mate Tyrrell Hatton are both set to tee up at the Amgen Irish Open, and will also play at next week's BMW PGA Championship.

And McIlroy believes the inclusion of LIV players going forward will only make the DP World Tour stronger.

"The health of the DP World Tour is in a really good spot," McIlroy added. "They have a wonderful alliance with the PGA Tour. I think that alliance is only going to get stronger, especially with the PGA Tour committing to working with the DP World Tour for some of these international events at this time of the year going forward.

"So you have PGA Tour players really with nothing to do for five months in this period. If whoever else is incorporated into these tournaments, that makes them more competitive.

"Overall, with the way things are working out, it's a very good thing for the golf ecosystem. It only makes these tournaments stronger with more competitive players in them."

Donald: LIV players will be thinking about the Ryder Cup

Ahead of the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor, European captain Luke Donald admitted some ambiguity still lingers over who might choose to continue playing on LIV Golf.

However, he added the chance to play in the Ryder Cup could sway their decision.

"There's still some uncertainty," Donald said. "Time will tell to see where those guys land. Obviously, you want your best players available, and you want them playing as many counting events as possible.

"You set your qualification system to try and determine who those top six guys are, and the more someone like a Jon Rahm or Tyrrell Hatton, if they are playing more events on the DP World Tour, they are going to have a better opportunity to fill one of those top six. So that's obviously great.

"If not, we'll see what happens. But I don't really determine their schedules or where they play. But I know a lot of these guys, the Ryder Cup is high up on their priority list. So I'm sure they will be thinking about that."

Sky Sports will be broadcasting all four rounds of the Amgen Irish Open, with coverage starting at 1.30pm on Thursday on Sky Sports Golf, while the remaining three days will be live on Sky Sports+.

Two sessions of coverage on Friday start at 9am and 3pm, while the weekend action gets under way at 2.30pm on Saturday and 1.30pm on Sunday, with all three days also on Sky Sports Golf after the conclusion of the Solheim Cup. Get latest Sky Sports deals or stream golf with no contract on NOW.

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