Rory McIlroy: LIV Golf Will Need Bryson and Billions 'Just to Maintain'

He’s eased off the gas over the last year or so, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a PGA TOUR player who has been more outspoken about LIV Golf than Rory McIlroy. So much so that he dubbed himself a sacrificial lamb when the TOUR reversed course and decided to reunify the game—my guess is that’s been off the table for a while. But the Northern Irishman was at it again at the DP World Tour’s Dubai Invitational.

Speaking with James Corrigan of The Telegraph, McIlroy said that he feels as though the Saudi-backed circuit’s time poaching the TOUR’s best is over.

"It’s not as if they made any huge signings this year, is it?" McIlroy said. "They haven’t signed anyone who moves the needle, and I don’t think they will. I mean, they could re-sign Bryson 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.”

LIV has added some new talent this offseason, highlighted by its most recent addition, Ben An. The 34-year-old from Korea made 229 starts on the PGA TOUR, but hadn't yet earned a win.

On the flip side, LIV lost a five-time major champion in Brooks Koepka right before Christmas. As of Monday, he’s back to playing for the other side.

Since Jon Rahm decided to make the change at the end of 2023, LIV has done nothing but add what my friend Dan Rapaport called “really nice” players. Fans and media who are deeply ingrained in the sport know of them, but they're names won't draw eyeballs.

Case and point, An, a player with no wins on TOUR, was its most recognizable pick-up. And that’s nothing against Ben An, the guy earned over $20 million on TOUR—I’m looking at the forest through the trees.

On the bright side for LIV, Bryson DeChambeau, Rahm, and Cameron Smith all said they’ll be staying, despite the uniquely tailored requirements in the TOUR’s new Returning Members Program, which made it possible for Koepka to have a spot at Torrey. In his first comments on the matter, DeChambeau’s tone wasn’t all that convincing.

McIlroy brought up another great point, mentioning that with many contracts expiring at the end of the 2026 season, LIV will need to dish out billions just to remain on course.

“And they’ve lost Brooks,” McIlroy said, “so they’ll be paying out all this money and...A lot of these guys’ contracts are up. 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."

A few weeks ago, I wrote that the LIV Golf bubble is ready to burst. That Koepka’s exit was a sign of a failed experiment. That the more LIV continues to replace major champions with the fruitless, the slippier the slope becomes.

LIV caught a break with the three commitments on Wednesday, but Rahm, DeChambeau, and Smith may not feel the same way once it’s time to sit at the negotiating table at the end of the season.

The RMP and TOUR might call out to those guys like Harry Osborn’s mask.