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As each day passes, the future of the PGA Tour looks brighter and the future of LIV Golf becomes much more cloudy. It wasn’t that long ago that LIV had the full backing of the Saudi Arabian government and was recruiting some of the biggest stars of the game with the promises of incredible riches and a new world tour that would transform professional golf. The two tours even announced an intent to merge, bringing golf’s civil war to an apparent end and making it appear as though LIV Golf would remain a part of the sport’s worldwide fabric. However, a lot has changed in a very short period of time. Now, the future of the renegade tour is in serious doubt. In spite of an announcement that LIV had found a new “lead investor,” no deal appears to have actually been signed just yet as LIV embarks on their season finale in Indianapolis this week. LIV Golf is now facing the reality of canceled tournaments, unpaid bills, pending lawsuits, and cut purses and broken promises to its golfers. Speculation is now running rampant about the future of LIV Golf stars with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour turning up the pressure and making any potential returns more challenging in the coming years. Already, LIV’s best player Jon Rahm is reported to be seriously exploring a way out. Bryson DeChambeau appears to be committed to staying. But many others could also be looking to hit the eject button and take whatever offer is available to be welcomed back to their respective former tours. The leverage is all in the hands of the PGA Tour. And when asked about the prospect of more LIV Golf stars returning in a press conference at the BMW Championship, Rory McIlroy delivered a brutal one-liner suggesting that their presence wasn’t needed. Rory was asked about LIV players returning to the PGA Tour and the value they could bring. His answer….. pic.twitter.com/EjZvmbqYFb — Jamie Kennedy (@jamierkennedy) August 19, 2026 The trends of each organization with LIV in Indianapolis going head-to-head with the PGA Tour on its second playoff event in St. Louis could not be more stark. “I’d argue, have they brought value to LIV?” McIlroy asked hypothetically. “I think the PGA Tour is in a good spot.” Checkmate? Rory McIlroy added that the path back for any LIV golfers hoping for a return to the PGA Tour is going to be much more difficult for them than what Brooks Koepka experienced when he came back earlier this year. Via Sky Sports: McIlroy added: “Eventually they will [be welcomed back]. I’m not part of these discussions but I’m pretty sure they’re not going to be welcomed back straight away. “If they were offered this returning member program back in February, the one that Brooks [Koepka] took, then yeah, maybe, but that has come and gone. “I think it was said at the time that the deal that they might get going forward, if they do decide to come back, isn’t going to be as good as the one that Brooks got. I would say it’s going to be a tough road back.” “I think I feel like I’ve kept my position consistent that LIV has never been a good thing for the game,” McIlroy explained. “Whatever 2.0 looks like, if it even happens, they say they’re trying to be more collaborative and all that. “This [PGA Tour] is the best platform for the top professional golfers in the world. Were there some things at the start of LIV that the PGA Tour could have done better? Sure. “You think back to the start with say, Phil [Mickelson] unhappy with some stuff or whatever it was. Surely that just warranted a conversation instead of blowing the entire professional game up and doing something else? “I don’t take any personal satisfaction of people losing jobs – that doesn’t seem right. I’ve always felt like this is the best place to play professional golf. I’m pretty sure if the PGA Tour were handed $6bn it would have done a better job with it.” LIV never found a foothold with golf fans in its competition with the PGA Tour; the Saudis pulled the rug out from under it. If golf fans didn’t watch when players like Rahm and DeChambeau left, why should they be all that concerned about them coming back? Ratings for the PGA Tour have grown each of the last two seasons. CBS is celebrating its best season in 20 years. Golf may never reach the numbers of the Tiger Woods era again, but the tour is in a very healthy place as a television product. And with the new Championship Series better defining the must-watch events beginning in 2028, the tour is looking to build on its momentum and strengthen its product. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour can put the squeeze on LIV Golf players because they have proven they aren’t needed for the future of professional golf. The LIV players left, and the pro tours got even stronger. The audience didn’t leave. The sponsors and purses are bigger than ever. And new stars like Jackson Koivun are willing, able, and ready to come through the pipeline. Rory McIlroy has been the face of this battle for years and was the flagbearer for the PGA Tour through its darkest hour. And he is entitled to his victory lap.