Rory McIlroy Says He'd Accept Bryson DeChambeau, LIV Golfers Returning to PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy says he would accept the return of players like Bryson DeChambeau to the PGA Tour should they leave LIV Golf in the future.

The five-time major champion discussed the possibility of someday bringing LIV Golf players back to the PGA Tour in a Friday appearance on The Overlap's Stick it to Football podcast.

"They're made the money, but they've paid their consequence in terms of, you talk about the reputation and some of the things they've lost by going over there," McIlroy said around the 1:05:00 mark of the podcast. "If it made the overall tour stronger, to have Bryson DeChambeau back and whoever else, I would be okay with it.

"But again, it's not just me. And I recognize that not everyone's in my position, so it would be up to the collective grip of PGA Tour members to make that decision."

McIlroy's comments come shortly after five-time major champion Brooks Koepka announced he would be leaving LIV Golf after joining the league in 2022.

It is not yet clear if Koepka will be able to play in the PGA Tour in 2026. ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported that Koepka did not renew his PGA Tour membership in 2022 and would have to formally re-apply to join the league.

Koepka might not ultimately be the only player wondering about a potential return to the PGA Tour.

McIlroy expressed doubt during his podcast appearance as to the longevity of LIV Golf, which has yet to be recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking as a tour that can provide players with ranking points.

"I don't know, but if LIV is failing to capture the imagination, and they've spent so much money on this venture and it isn't making a return for them, I don't know how much longer they can keep it going," McIlory said.

McIlroy continued, "And maybe it's just I'm too much of a traditionalist to get it, but it just doesn't seem to have anything— like, they were coming into the game saying, 'We're going to be different'... even the fact they've now switched from 54 holes to 72 holes to get world ranking. So, it's like, you're just doing everyone else is doing. So what's different, apart from the money?"

McIlroy has expressed disinterest in joining LIV Golf since the league was first formed with backing from the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund in 2021.

After collecting more than $107 million in career earnings during his PGA Tour career, McIlroy acknowledged it could be harder for other players to turn down lucrative offers from the rival league.

He added, however, that he feels the split between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf is hurting the overall relevancy of the sport. The two bodies have yet to come to a formal agreement despite discussing the possibility since at least early 2024.

"The thing that it's done is it's elevated the majors, and it's elevated the Ryder Cup, because it's only four or five times a year you see all the best players playing together," McIlroy said. "Which is, I think, for golf to be relevant, we need the best players together more often than that."

LIV Golf announced the new 72-hole format in November in the hopes of gaining ranking points, although the OWGR said it is still deliberating over that decision as of Tuesday.

The league is currently set to kick off the 2026 campaign on Feb. 4 in Riyadh, a month after the PGA Tour begins its own season next week in Honolulu.