Rory McIlroy would welcome back former PGA Tour stars who left for LIV Golf, saying those players have "paid their consequence."
The reigningMasters champion was a guest on this week's "Overlap" podcastand said that while Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has helped elevate the majors and Ryder Cup — making those events the only times during the year where the best players are all together — the sport needs them together more often in order to be relevant.
McIlroy's comments come nearlytwo weeks after five-time major winner Brooks Koepka announcedhe would step away from LIV Golf for the 2026 season. That decision leaves open the question of whether he will pursue a return to the PGA Tour.
Should Koepka attempt a return, McIlroy believes that no punishment is needed as it would be in the best interests of the PGA Tour.
"They've made the money but they've paid their consequence when you talk about their reputation and some of the things that they've lost by going over there," McIlroy said. "If it made the overall tour stronger to have Bryson DeChambeau back and whoever else, I would be okay with it. But, it's not just me, and I recognize that not everyone's in my position. It would be up to the collective group of PGA Tour members to make that decision."
FellowPGA Tour member Billy Horschel had a similar response earlierthis week, saying that he was once in favor of a punishment for any LIV players who want to return, but now sees it as a betterment of the product.
Koepka, DeChambeau, along with Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson were the biggest names to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. Their departures created tension between the tours and players, with some arguing there should be a consequence in order to return.
The PGA Tour has indicated that a pathway back from LIV would require a player to sit out at least a year after playing in a non-sanctioned event. LIV's final event ended on Aug. 25, 2025; a year's delay would make Koepka ineligible to play until at least the PGA Tour's fall events. He could potentially play on the DP World Tour.
McIlroy has been one of thebiggestanti-LIV voiceson the PGA Tour since its inception. He doesn't like what it's done to golf and the fractures that it has created.
Those feelings have softened, however, with McIlroy saying that he felt his earlier comments were "too judgmental" and that he realized other players are in a different position than him or Tiger Woods.
"You get this offer and what do you do?"McIlroy said in Jan. 2024. "We all turned professional to make a living playing the sports that we do and I think that's what I realized over the past two years, I can't judge people for making that decision."
LIV Golf has made changes for 2026, including the biggest decision ofmoving from 54 holes to the traditional 72in order to better its chances of players receiving Official World Golf Rankings points.
Will that be enough for LIV Golf to gain relevancy? In McIlroy's eyes, time is running out.
"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 they can keep it going," McIlroy said.
