Rory McIlroy thinks LIV Golf can't survive for long as he reveals what went wrong with the PIF-backed league

Rory McIlroy has often criticized LIV Golf since the league's inception in 2022. With the Saudi PIF-backed golf league already facing backlash of late, the PGA Tour veteran has jumped into the conversation, taking a shot at his rival tour's longevity.

McIlroy was featured in an episode of the Stick To Football podcast, where he talked about what went wrong with LIV Golf, claiming that it has not succeeded in resonating with the audience.

Rory McIlroy stated that the breakaway tour had no difference apart from the money involved, as they have switched to a 72-hole format from their original 54-hole format. In his statement, the golfer questioned LIV Golf's future, citing the league's failure to bring in returns on investments (1:00:40 onwards):

“The thing that it’s done is it’s elevated the majors and it’s elevated the Ryder Cup because it’s the only four or five times a year you see all the best players playing together. For golf to be relevant... we need the best players together more often than that. "They’ve spent billions on LIV… If LIV is failing to capture the imagination and they’ve spent so much money on this venture and it isn’t making a return for them, I don’t know how much longer it can keep going."

Take a look at McIlroy's statement on YouTube :

McIlroy's statement regarding LIV Golf's expenditure and a probable short-term future came weeks after reports in October about LIV Golf's losses. According to the report, the league's UK entity lost more than $1.1 billion, with a loss of more than $590 million in 2024 alone.

While Rory McIlroy has shared his take on LIV's longevity, this was not the first time. In the past, the five-time major champ has openly criticized the league's investment model.

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Rory McIlroy warned that more money would be spent to keep LIV Golf going

Rory McIlroy was a part of the CNBC CEO Council Forum in November 2025, where he shared his thoughts on a possible unification to heal golf's broken landscape. In his statement, the Holywood native claimed that it would be a difficult stage for reunification due to 'irrational' ways of resource allocation and spending.

McIlroy stated LIV Golf had yet to see returns on investments, while it would have to spend more to maintain its current state. He said:

"...we were trying to deal with people that were acting in some ways irrationally, just in terms of the capital they were allocating and the money they were spending." "It’s been four or five years, and there hasn’t been a return yet, but you know, they’re going to have to keep spending that money to even just maintain what they have right now..."

On the above occasion, Rory McIlroy further stated that several golfers on LIV would need money since their contracts would soon be over. According to McIlroy's claims, LIV has already spent five or six billion and would have to spend the same to maintain its status.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam