Rory McIlroy predicts LIV stars will LEAVE after filing for bankruptcy in brutal assessment of future for rebel tour
Rory McIlroy is expecting a talent drain from LIV Golf in the wake of the circuit’s decision to file for bankruptcy.
With the struggling league opting to enter ‘chapter 11’ proceedings in the United States, LIV players bound by long-term contracts will soon have the option to leave early.
That is a scenario McIlroy forecasts for the next phase in the LIV saga. Speaking at the Irish Open on Wednesday, the six-time major winner said: ‘I’m not in their shoes but LIV at the start looked a lot more attractive than what LIV 2.0 might be from a financial standpoint.
‘I’m not trying to predict the future but I would predict that you’ll see some guys leave, as they are free to now as, I guess, contracts have been breached by them filing for bankruptcy.
‘I think that means other tours have decisions to make. And 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.’
With both Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton understood to be giving serious thought to leaving following the withdrawal of Saudi backing for LIV, the DP World Tour would be their logical next destination.
Rory McIlroy had his say on the future of LIV Golf on the eve of the Irish Open
Bryson DeChambeau has pledged to stay with LIV but many others are likely to walk
Both men have retained their membership of the circuit since making big-money moves ahead of the 2024 LIV season, so it would be an easy transition. Under existing PGA Tour regulations, any LIV golfer would have to wait 12 months from their last LIV start to return Stateside.
Bryson DeChambeau has stated his desire to stay with LIV, who in the absence of Saudi cash are offering equity in the league to those who stay behind and contest a vastly-reduced schedule.
If LIV survive to a 2027 season, for which they are optimistic after striking an agreement in principle with private equity group BC Partners, the tour will be reduced to 10 events with prize purses slashed from $30million to somewhere between $7m and $10m.
LIV believe bankruptcy is their best chance of making it that far, with the scale of their financial crisis outlined by the chapter 11 filing in New Jersey. Documentation showed that, in addition to vendors owed money, the list of unsecured creditors from their playing roster includes Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, who are owed $7.5million and $5.8m respectively. Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Adrian Meronk are each owed in excess of $4m, with Hatton’s claim measuring $3.4m.
These numbers apply to money owed in the third quarter of 2026 alone, and not the far larger amounts outstanding on their contracts, which in Rahm’s case is believed to be a nine-figure sum. The majority of LIV’s staff was made redundant last month.