Rory McIlroy Shades LIV Golf After Brooks Koepka Agrees to PGA Tour Return

Perhaps nobody on the PGA Tour was more outspoken against LIV than Rory McIlroy when the breakaway league was just getting started, and the five-time major champion doesn't seem to have much optimism regarding the Saudi Arabian-financed league's future.

"It's not as if they made any huge signings this year, is it?" McIlroy said Thursday, per James Corrigan of The Telegraph (h/t ESPN's Mark Schlabach). "They haven't signed anyone who moves the needle, and I don't think they will. I mean, they could re-sign Bryson [DeChambeau] for hundreds of millions of dollars, but even if they do, it doesn't change their product, does it? They'll just be paying for the exact same thing."

His comments came shortly after LIV lost one of its major headliners in Brooks Koepka.

Koepka announced Monday he was returning to the PGA Tour and expressed his belief in where things were heading:

"This is great as it gets Brooks back to where he belongs," McIlroy said of Koepka. "He is one of the best players in the world and anything that makes the traditional tours stronger is a good thing in my book."

He wasn't the only notable golfer to express that sentiment. Tiger Woods also commented on Koepka's return during an interview with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt on Tuesday and said, "It's incredible for the Tour. It's incredible for all the fans, the fan initiative program that we did last year and what they wanted, they wanted to see the best play against the best."

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp wrote an open letter around Koepka's decision detailing a Returning Member Program pathway for those who won either the Players Championship or one of the majors since 2022:

Koepka is returning as someone who was eligible to do so, but he first had to make a $5 million charitable contribution and forfeit player equity shares for the next five years. He also must play his way into signature events without sponsors and isn't eligible to receive money from the $100 million FedEx Cup bonus program this year.

DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith would also be eligible for the Returning Member Program given their recent accomplishments, but they all told reporters they plan to remain with LIV through their contracts.

"A lot of these guys' contracts are up," McIlroy said. "They're going to ask for the same number or an even bigger number. LIV have spent $5 billion or $6 billion and they're going to have to spend another five or six just to maintain where they are. Look, I'm way more comfortable being on the PGA Tour side than on their side, but who knows what will happen.

"As ever time will tell with all this, but I'm so happy to be with the PGA Tour."