Rory McIlroy confirms final LIV Golf decision after hinting at sensational PGA Tour switch

Rory McIlroy appeared to open the door to a move to LIV Golf last month amid his frustrations with the state of the sport, but he has decisively decided his future, giving a huge boost to the PGA Tour.

Rory McIlroy has definitively ruled out the possibility of leaving the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf.

Following the Northern Irishman’s recent comments suggesting he may consider joining the Saudi Arabia-funded breakaway tour, he has been a vocal critic of the League of International Golf (LIV) since its inception in 2022.

Despite initially opposing the league and its recruitment of top PGA Tour players, McIlroy’s stance toward the Greg Norman-fronted organization has begun to change in recent times.

McIlroy confirmed on Thursday that he has no intention of leaving the PGA Tour, highlighting the value he places on the long-established history and prestige of the tour that dates back over a hundred years.

McIlroy mentioned to ESPN that he is a traditionalist and winning golf tournaments is what he enjoys the most.

He finds significance in seeing the names of past champions on the trophy, such as Sam Sneyd, Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tiger Woods, and Nick Faldo. Paying tribute to those who paved the way in the sport is important to him.

The confirmation of McIlroy’s stance comes after his press conference at the Cognizant Classic last week, when he was asked about comments from his former agent, Chubby Chandler, who hinted his former client could join LIV.

McIlroy told reporters at PGA National: “You never know, he might know a few things.” When probed about Chandler’s assertion to Bunkered that there was a “strong possibility” McIlroy would join LIV, before backtracking and saying there was a “10 per cent” chance, McIlroy responded: “Maybe somewhere in the middle. Who knows.”

However, McIlroy’s recent interview has dispelled the idea that he might switch to LIV, despite his desire for top players to compete more frequently. He believes that the top players from the PGA Tour and LIV should have more opportunities to play together beyond just major tournaments and a few DP World Tour events.

He went on to say that he would support the idea of collectively brainstorming ways to reunite and progress in a more united manner.

“After admitting that he thinks players who left the PGA Tour to join LIV should be allowed to come back without facing any consequences, McIlroy received backlash from some of his fellow PGA Tour players.”

“He has proposed the concept of introducing a new series of tournaments to the schedule, based on the format of football’s Champions League, where the best players from each tour would qualify to compete.”