Rory McIlroy believes traditional tours will soon have “decisions to make” as a player exodus from LIV Golf edges closer. LIV filing for bankruptcy in the United States on Tuesday means its deals with several high-profile golfers will soon be invalid, leaving them free to negotiate a route back to the PGA and DP World Tours. When asked whether remaining with LIV in its planned, far-less lucrative form would hold appeal, McIlroy was characteristically candid.
The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing – stating around $45m (£33.2m) is owed to players – represented LIV’s latest step in rebooting the business due to the removal of funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Sources familiar with the situation insist contracts have not yet been breached. Terms in place with star names are now unaffordable for LIV.
Contracts will inevitably either be renegotiated or cancelled. The prevailing sense has been for some time that players such as Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Cameron Smith will seek to relaunch their careers on the PGA Tour – in return for some form of sanction – when it becomes legally feasible for them to do so. Others, who are less attractive to the PGA Tour, are facing career limbo.
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. They have a wonderful alliance with the PGA Tour.
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. If they are incorporated or whoever else is incorporated into these tournaments, that makes them more competitive. Overall, you know, I think with the way things are working out, it’s a very good thing for the golf ecosystem.
I think it only makes these tournaments stronger with more competitive players in them.” LIV’s stated aim is to play 10 events, worth $10m each, with 75-man fields in 2027 with the monetary backing of BC Partners. However, huge questions exist over the calibre of player willing to feature. Bryson DeChambeau has been widely tipped to remain with LIV.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
