Rory McIlroy’s message to LIV golfers: ‘That’s the risk those guys chose to take’

Rory McIlroy says LIV Golf's Saudi ties meant it was always in danger of having its funding turned off.

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Published May 12, 2026  •  2 minute read

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the second tee during a practice round prior to the PGA Championship. Getty Images

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Rory McIlroy says LIV Golf’s Saudi ties meant it was always in danger of having its funding turned off.

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“I think everyone knows like with everything that’s happening in the Middle East, that had a lot to do (with it), but whenever you have funding tied so much to the geopolitical landscape in the world, that’s a tricky road to navigate,” McIlroy said on Tuesday at the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club. “Their priorities shifted, and that leaves LIV in a pretty precarious spot, but again, that was always a possibility.”

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The six-time major champion said that he began to hear rumours that the Saudis were about to pull out of LIV Golf months before it became official.

“I feel like a lot of us in this room, including me, we almost knew before the players did that this was going to happen,” he said. “I was hearing about this back in March, April time.”

McIlroy said he would ask friends of his on LIV Golf about the rumours and they said it was business as usual — until it wasn’t.

“It just feels like the rug was pulled from under their feet and everyone was sort of blindsided by it,” McIlroy said. “But again, that’s the risk that those guys chose to take.”

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The Northern Irish superstar was one of LIV Golf’s harshest critics in the early days of the breakaway tour, before changing his tune and suggesting that the PGA Tour should come to an agreement or make a deal with LIV.

“I’m glad I was wrong. I can admit when I’m wrong and that was one that I did get wrong,” he said.

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As for the future of LIV Golf, McIlroy is just as in the dark as the rest of the golf world.

“I’m not privy to the deals they have. I guess from what I read they’ve got some sponsorship revenue for I don’t know how long that those commitments are,” he said.

“If they do somehow get a schedule together for next year, it seems like it’s going to look drastically different to what it’s looked like over the last four years.”

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