Golf
Rory McIlroy believes DP World Tour can benefit from LIV Golf changes
Rory McIlroy feels it is inevitable some players will choose to leave LIV Golf after the organisation filed for bankruptcy protection – which could be “a good thing” for the DP World Tour.
The breakaway tour, which held its first tournament in 2022, says it has found a new investor in BC Partners following the decision in April by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to pull its backing.
A Chapter 11 petition, which is intended to “preserve the company’s business as a going concern”, was filed in the United States on Tuesday, with the reorganised company expected to be majority-owned by LIV players.
PIF has agreed to provide 49.6million US dollars (£37.7m) in debtor-in-possession financing to support LIV during the restructuring, with the new era set to begin in early 2027.
How many of its player field stay loyal to LIV remains to be seen – with Jon Rahm and several of its other leading names linked with a return to the PGA Tour.
McIlroy believes the expected changes moving forward can prove a positive development for the “golf ecosystem”.
“I am not in their shoes, but LIV at the start looked a lot more attractive than what LIV 2.0 might be from a financial standpoint,” McIlroy said at a press conference on Wednesday ahead of his Irish Open defence at Doonbeg.
“I am not trying to predict the future, but I would predict that you will see some guys leave, as they are free to now as, I guess, contracts have been breached by them filing for bankruptcy.
“I think that means other tours have decisions to make, and 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.
“The health of the DP World Tour is in a really good spot. They have a wonderful alliance with the PGA Tour.”
McIlroy continued: “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 they are incorporated or whoever else is incorporated into these tournaments, that makes them more competitive.
“Overall, I think with the way things are working out, it is a very good thing for the golf ecosystem. I think it only makes these tournaments stronger with more competitive players in them.”
