Rory McIlroy has said that LIV Golf never pitched an offer to pry him away from the PGA Tour, given his staunch stance on the controversial circuit.
The golfer, who holds four major titles, hasn’t shied away from blasting the Saudi-backed series since it emerged in 2021, even once admitting that he wouldn’t join “if it was the last place to play golf on earth”. Nevertheless, McIlroy, 35, has dialed back his stance lately – against the backdrop of talks about the PGA Tour potentially merging with the contentious league – and he opened up about the exorbitant sums being offered to some top-tier players to defect.
Rory McIlroy was never offered a contract to ditch the PGA Tour and join the LIV Golf set-up (Image: Keyur Khamar, PGA TOURvia Getty Images)
In a chat with Gary Neville on Stick To Football, when queried about the potential signing bonus for jumping ship to LIV, McIlroy said: “It depends. I don’t know, but I mean, there are numbers being touted for Jon Rahm upwards of three, four, five hundred million dollars. That’s what the numbers are.”
Upon further questioning by Neville regarding whether he had rejected such extraordinary figures, McIlroy replied: “No, I’ve never had an offer,” adding: “I just didn’t engage, cause it’s something that…and I think at this point I’ve pretty much set my stall out.”
The conversation took a humorous turn when Jamie Carragher asked: “Do you regret that now?” prompting laughter in the studio. McIlroy continued by discussing the wider impact on sports: “It’s happening in everything, right? Obviously, with all the stuff that’s happening with football, F1.
“They’re [Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund] getting into sport, and they… yeah, they’re getting the World Cup in 2034, they’re making a huge splash in the entire world of sport, and no different than what the UAE [United Arab Emirates] have done in the past and other countries.”
Rahm is among the many players who have joined LIV Golf recently, leading the Legion XIII team. High-profile golfers like Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Brooks Koepka, and Lee Westwood are also competing with the organization.
Jon Rahm joined LIV Golf in December 2023 ( Image: Getty Images)
Initially, McIlroy was critical of those who abandoned the PGA Tour for the new LIV platform, lured by substantial financial offers and rich event prizes. However, he has since reconsidered his stance on the subject.
He said: “I was probably judgemental of the guys who went at the start, and I think that was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realise not everyone’s in my position or Tiger’s [Woods] position. And you get this offer and what do you do?
“We all turn professional to make a living playing the sports that we do and I think that’s what I realised over the past two years. I can’t judge people for making that decision. So if I regret anything it was probably being too judgemental at the start.”
Reflecting on his choices of prioritizing victories over financial gain, McIlroy continued: “Whenever I dreamed of being a professional golfer, it was about winning trophies and it was about winning major championships. And this happens in all sports but to me I’m just sick of the money talk in golf because the fans don’t care.
“They just want to watch good golf and watch people compete against each other. They don’t care if you’re making this or this guy’s on £200,000 a week right? It doesn’t resonate.”
McIlroy’s name is sure to be etched into the records as one of the best players the modern era has seen, boasting an impressive 43 PGA Tour victories, four major championships, and an enduring 122-week run as World No. 1. Despite a major win drought since his 2014 triumph at the PGA Championship in Valhalla, McIlroy may very well reverse his fortunes in 2025.
Currently ranked as World No. 2, trailing behind Scottie Scheffler, McIlroy has had an impressive start to his 2025 season, clinching his first title of the year at the ATandT Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February after finishing two strokes ahead of Shane Lowry. McIlroy further cemented his success at the Tour’s signature Players Championship earlier this month, edging out JJ Spaun in a thrilling play-off.
The golfing powerhouse is currently positioned at T30 at the Houston Open with a cumulative score of four-under-par with two rounds remaining. He will be aiming to close the gap between himself and tournament frontrunner Scheffler – who currently leads by seven strokes – as Sunday’s finale approaches.
