Rory McIlroy: LIV Golf 'wanted to destroy the European Tour'

Rory McIlroy on LIV Golf: 'They took players; they took sponsors; they turned professional golf into an arms race.' Pic: Warren Little/Getty Images

Rory McIlroy has claimed that people from LIV Golf said at Augusta that they wanted to destroy the European Tour. Speaking ahead of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, McIlroy backed DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings who told the Scotsman that people he trusted had told him that destroying the tour was one of LIV's aims. 

"They took players; they took sponsors; they turned professional golf into an arms race," said McIlroy.

"They were going around Augusta saying they wanted to destroy the European Tour. Yeah, I agree with everything.

"I think people that don't agree are probably very shortsighted. Look, there was some of the money that they used the right way, created the International Series on the Asian Tour, great for a couple years, but where did that leave the Asian Tour? They left them high and dry. Asian Tour came back into the fold. Did a partnership with the PGA Tour and The European Tour. 

"It was always going to be good for a few years until something like this happened, or they realised they weren't going to get any return on investment, or they were going to leave the golf space and go invest in something else and invest in something that would actually make them money.

"I think for long-term sustainability for men's professional golf, I think we are in a much better spot."

The future of LIV Golf is uncertain after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund withdrew its support. The rebel tour is trying to navigate through bankruptcy proceedings. Their relaunch has been further hampered by players like Jon Rahm, Tom McKibbin and Graeme McDowell already saying they will not be part of LIV 2.0.

"I think we'll look back on it as a very strange time," said McIlroy.

"It gave players a lot of leverage over the tours, and I don't necessarily think that's a good thing for the overall health of the professional game.

"I think there has to be a balance there. There has to be a bit of give and take. I've said this from the start, like there's never been a better time to be a professional golfer. Talk to Jack Nicklaus or any of these older guys, they would have loved LIV to come around in their day, they would have made more money, and we are all making more money because of it.

"But I do think there has to be a bit of a reset. I've talked about this. They created a false economy within men's professional golf, and I think that there is going to be a bit of a reset here, just for things to be a little bit more sustainable. 

"You know, there's not as much of an arms race as there was maybe a couple of years ago, and some players will argue that that's not good for players but I think that's very short-term thinking.

"Like, if you want sustainable tours, and we want these tours around in 50 years' time, there has to be sustainable business practises in place to make sure they are around in 50 years' time."

McIlroy also said he decided to retain his European Tour membership in 2019 after then tour CEO Keith Pelley told him if he gave it up, he would not be able to one day captain the European Ryder Cup team. 

The world number two ranked player was asked on Wednesday if he agrees with the rule which means someone like Sergio Garcia, who gave up his European Tour membership after joining LIV Golf, cannot be Ryder Cup captain or vice-captain. 

"I nearly fell afoul of that rule," said McIlroy.

"I was going to give my DP World Tour membership up in 2019, and I had a chat with Keith Pelley at the time, and said, 'Look, you know, based in America. I want to focus over there for a bit.'

"And Keith said to me, 'Totally fine but you do know if you give up your membership or you resign your membership, you can't be a captain or vice captain of the Ryder Cup in the future.'

"And I was like, 'Well, I'm not going to do that then.'

"So like I nearly made that choice and having that chat with Keith Pelley and knowing rules, I was like, 'well, of course I want to be a Ryder Cup Captain one day.' There was no decision to be made.

"So I've had that, I guess, thought in my mind at one point as well, and it wasn't even about LIV. It was just about feeling like maybe I was spread too thin and trying to play here, there and everywhere. But everyone knows that rule, and everyone knows that if you abdicate your membership, that's the consequence."