Scottie Scheffler has indicated he would accept LIV Golf players rejoining the PGA Tour, provided some form of consequence accompanies their return. Rory McIlroy indicated that a merger between the tours remained a possibility, yet he appeared hesitant when pressed on what players returning from LIV Golf would contribute to the PGA Tour.
At the BMW Championship, McIlroy questioned whether LIV players had delivered genuine value to the sport. The Indianapolis tournament this weekend serves as LIV Golf's closing event of the year, with the league navigating questions about its direction following a reported reduction in financial support from its Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund backer.
LIV Golf chief executive Scott O'Neil outlined an optimistic vision for the league's trajectory from 2027 onward, noting that players would gain equity stakes and have their commercial rights returned to them. According to O'Neil, the framework called for five team-based competitions abroad alongside five individual events on home soil, timed to coincide with the majors for qualifying players.
The identity of the primary investor with whom LIV has finalised a deal was not disclosed. Ted Goldthorpe of BC Partners, named by a number of news organisations as the individual in question, held talks with players on Tuesday. O'Neil indicated that athletes faced a deadline to sign up for LIV 2.0, though the specific date was not disclosed.
No details about the scale of the planned investment have been provided. Over five years, LIV Golf's total expenditure reached approximately $5 billion. O'Neil indicated that completing the transaction remains the primary objective. He acknowledged that player participation was essential to the league's viability, while expressing reasonable confidence that a suitable group of athletes would be available to drive the competition forward.
Among LIV Golf's notable contracted players, Jon Rahm is tied to the tour through 2027, while Bryson DeChambeau's agreement expires at the end of this year. Each has claimed two major titles, and they stand among the most prominent names remaining in LIV Golf.
Brooks Koepka became the first golfer to rejoin the PGA Tour under an agreement requiring him to qualify for $20 million signature events on merit, contribute $5 million to charitable causes, and forgo any equity stake. The penalty figure was estimated at $50 million or more. Rahm, DeChambeau and Cameron Smith — all of whom have won major titles since LIV's 2022 debut — received the same proposal from the tour, along with a two-week window to respond.
Scheffler noted that LIV Golf features a number of highly competitive players when the conversation turned to top-tier talent. He acknowledged that the PGA Tour's competitive depth remains unrivalled, while also noting that certain players at the upper tier of LIV Golf would bring considerable worth to the field and represent opponents he welcomes the opportunity to compete against. Scheffler indicated that some form of disciplinary measures would need to be introduced going forward, and that the specific nature of any penalties would fall under the authority of PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp to determine.
McIlroy has been one of the more outspoken critics of LIV Golf since the breakaway tour launched. His public statements have moderated over time, though remarks made in February 2025 indicated a view that players need to move past the issue of reintegrating defectors. He appeared more guarded, observing that leading players had been given opportunities to come back earlier in the year and that any future offer would probably fall short of what had been extended to Koepka.
McIlroy indicated that he has no involvement in those talks, adding that he doubts the players in question will be readmitted without delay. According to the account he provided, those who choose to return at a later point would receive terms less favourable than the arrangement Koepka had already secured. McIlroy noted that the road back would present considerable challenges.
LIV faces pressure from multiple directions, with at least two vendor lawsuits currently outstanding. Mobbi Systems Group, headquartered in Canada, brought a legal action in Miami the previous month. A tech vendor that provided broadcast functionality for LIV Golf has filed claims exceeding $1 million, covering unpaid invoices and projected revenue losses. A separate New York lawsuit, filed the previous month, sees Colorado-based Fresh Tape Media seeking over $1.2 million from LIV Golf for production work on its preseason media preview events.
O'Neil stated that the organisation is taking all available steps to honour its financial commitments to vendors and the contracted work, expressing hope that those obligations can be met. He observed that the industry would look and operate quite differently for those who come after him.
