Rory McIlroy’s merger stance is bad news for Brooks Koepka with LIV star ‘wanting’ PGA Tour return

Rory McIlroy declared at this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational that the PGA Tour do not “need” a deal with their LIV Golf rivals, but Brooks Koepka may well think different.

McIlroy had his say on the ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) at Bay Hill on Wednesday. It comes after hope had grown that an agreement was close after Tour bosses drafted in the aid of President Donald Trump in last month to aid talks.

Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy play on opposing tours (Image: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy declared at this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational that the PGA Tour do not “need” a deal with their LIV Golf rivals, but Brooks Koepka may well think different.

This hope has cooled slightly over the past week, leading McIlroy to provide his assessment. “I think the narrative around golf, I wouldn’t say needs a deal,” the world No. 3 declared.

“I think the narrative around golf would welcome a deal in terms of just having all the best players together again. But I don’t think the PGA Tour needs a deal, I think the momentum is pretty strong. TV has been good, TGL has hopefully been pretty additive to the overall situation.

“I answered this question in Torrey Pines two weeks ago. The landscape may have looked a little different then than it does now over these past couple of weeks. I think a deal would still be the ideal scenario for golf as a whole. But from a pure PGA Tour perspective, I don’t feel it necessarily needs it.”

One of the key aspects expected to come out of the proposed agreement is the PGA Tour allowing the members it banned for joining the LIV circuit a return. According to 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples, one of LIV’s biggest names in Koepka is keen on making a comeback.

Rory McIlroy had his say on a peace deal ( Image: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Couples told KJR 93.3 FM: “I talked to Brooks Koepka all the time. I love Brooks Koepka, and I’m not going to say anything extra except I talked to him all the time. He wants to come back. I will say that I believe he really wants to come back and play the Tour.”

Koepka will of course be relying on a peace deal to make such a return, having been one of the original defectors to make the Saudi switch alongside Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson just under three years ago. Koepka himself was quizzed on what future he sees for men’s professional golf recently.

Having left the off-course negotiations to those in charge though, Koepka is none the wiser as to the current goings on, and what the coming years hold for him and his fellow players. “Everyone asks that question man,” Koepka replied on The Joe Pomp Show after being asked what the future looks like.

“If I was in the room I would give my opinion, but I am not in the room.” Having joined LIV in 2022, Koepka is the man in charge of Smash GC, one of the league’s 13 franchises. He has won six times since making the switch, five coming on the LIV circuit, with the other coming at the 2023 PGA Championship.