'It might entice them a little bit more' - McIlroy sees more LIV players tempted by new-look PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy plays his shot on the 10th hole during the first round of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. on Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Logan Whitton/USGA)

Rory McIlroy believes the “pendulum” has swung to the PGA TOUR in its battle with LIV Golf and reckons the exit of Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed from the Saudi-funded league could “entice” more stars to follow them.

Speaking head of his defence of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he insisted the The Players does not need to be designated a Major and revealed he’s gone back to the equipment that helped him win the Masters, the Holywood star doubled down on his recent remarks that Koepka’s defection of was a sign that the rebel tour was not giving LIV’s stars “everything that they wanted out of going over there.”

“I think the pendulum has swung a little more in the PGA Tour's favour,” McIlroy said, citing efforts by new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp to create a concentrated 2027 schedule as another carrot for potential LIV defectors.
“You know, the sentiment has definitely changed from, say, 18 months ago.

“Guys are going to get to the end of their contracts, and whether they're going to get the money than they were paid the first time around remains to be seen.

“As I've said before, I think everything that's happened over the last few years has forced the (PGA) Tour to think about things differently and create these signature events.

“But then, rethinking the entire schedule, and you know what's going to happen in ’27 and beyond, I think the guys over there may be seeing that, and it might entice them a little bit more.

With Reed opting not to renew his LIV contract to concentrate on improving his PGA Tour status for his eventual return by winning one of the ten dual cards awarded on the DP World Tour this year, McIlroy sees more players being tempted to follow suit.

“I think Brooks coming back, one of the best players of our generation, five-time Major champion, that’s a big deal,” he said.

“Patrick earning his way back through really good play over on the DP World Tour. That's great for him.

“I'm all for anything that makes the PGA Tour stronger, and those two guys coming back make the PGA Tour stronger.”

The world number two wants to retain his title this week and having experimented with a new golf ball and cavity-back irons since his final PGA Tour event last year, he’s gone back to the ball and the blades that helped him complete the career Grand Slam.

“I had a strong finish to the season last year and played well in the Middle East, went down to Australia, which was a great experience, sort of messed around with some different iron setups and sort of messed around with a different ball and a few equipment changes,” McIlroy said.

“But that experiment is over — back to the trusted irons that I've played basically my whole career. But yeah, game feels in good shape.”

As for The Players being designated a Major, McIlroy is also a traditionalist when it comes to a debate that was rekindled when PGA Tour launched a new ad campaign for last week featuring the tagline “This is Major”.

It led analyst Brandel Chamblee to claim that The Players stood above the four Majors.

“When you look at the Players Championship, with all due respect to the other four Major championships, it is the best field in golf. It is the deepest field in golf,” Chamblee said.

“And by virtue of the fact that only one person in its 50-year history has managed to successfully defend it, I would argue that it is the hardest Major championship to win.”

McIlroy won The Players for the second time last year but he disagrees with the former tour winner.

“I'd love to have seven Majors instead of five,” joked McIlroy. “That sounds great. I think The Players is one of the best golf tournaments in the world.

"I don't think anyone disputes that or argues that. I think from a player perspective, it's amazing. I think from an on-site fan experience, it's amazing.

"It’s an amazing golf course location, venue. But again, look, I'm a traditionalist. I'm a historian of the game

“We have four Major championships, you know. If you want to see what five Major championships looks like, look at the women's game. I don't know how well that’s gone for them.”

He added: “It's The Players. It doesn't need to be anything else. I would say it's got more of an identity than the PGA Championship does at the minute, you know.

“So from an identity standpoint, I think The Players has got it nailed, but it doesn’t… I think The Players can be an amazing tournament in its own right.

“I don't think it being classified a Major, not a Major, makes it any more, any less.

“I'm still very proud to have won that tournament twice, and as I'm sure, all the other champions are. “And I think it stands on its own, without, without the label, I guess.”

As for the horrific abuse hurled at European players during the Ryder Cup at Bethpage, McIlroy believes efforts will be made to ensure there is no repeat at Adare Manor next year.

“Yeah, and I think that's up to the home team to set the tone early on in the week, and if you see something, or you hear something, you point it out straight away,” he said.

“It's not the way the Ryder Cup should be played. It's not in the spirit of why the Ryder Cup was created in the first place.

.“We’ll obviously do everything we can to  make sure that you know the game and the matches are played in the right spirit.”