Rory McIlroy warns LIV Golf’s future in ‘precarious spot’ as Jon Rahm keeps faith in bosses to ‘fix’ funding uncertainty | Golf News

Rory McIlroy has admitted that LIV Golf’s future is in a “precarious position” and that he was wrong to previously hope the PGA Tour would take Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) investment.

The PIF announced last month they will end their funding for LIV Golf at the end of the 2026 season, indicating that the “substantial investment required is no longer consistent” with the fund’s investment strategy moving forward.

Mcllroy said last year that reunification between men’s golf’s main tours was “the best thing for everyone”, although the framework agreement announced in June 2023 – involving the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf – was never finalised.

The world No 2 believes uncertainty continues in the men’s game as LIV Golf tries to source alternative funding to secure its future, but conceded he was “glad” to be wrong with his views about any potential deal involving the PGA Tour and the PIF.

“I’m glad I was wrong!” McIlroy said ahead of the PGA Championship, live from Thursday on Sky Sports Golf. “I can admit when I’m wrong, and that was one that I did get wrong. I think it [PIF pulling funding] was always a possibility to happen.

“Look, I think everyone knows with everything that’s happening in the Middle East, that had a lot to do…but whenever you have funding tied so much to the geopolitical landscape in the world, that’s a tricky road to navigate.

“Their [PIF] priorities shifted and that leaves LIV in a pretty precarious spot, but again, it was always a possibility. I feel like a lot of us in this room, including me, almost knew before the players did that this was going to happen. I was hearing about this back in March, April time.

“Look, I have friends over there [LIV Golf]. One of my best friends Ricky [McCormick] caddies for Tom McKibbin, who’s over there, and I would talk to him all the time about what was going on.

“I was saying to Ricky, even before Mexico ‘have you guys heard any of this stuff?’. He was like ‘no, everything seems okay over here.

“It just feels like the rug was pulled from under their feet and everyone was sort of blindsided by it. Again, that’s the risk that those guys chose to take. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the air right now.”

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil has previously said their events will continue “full throttle”, although how the circuit will look beyond this season – and the players that will continue to be involved – remains unclear.

“I’m not privy to the deals they [LIV Golf] have,” McIlroy added. “I guess from what I read they’ve got some sponsorship revenue – I don’t know how long those commitments are.

“Look, 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.”

Rahm refuses to dwell over LIV Golf future

Jon Rahm moved to LIV Golf ahead of the 2024 season, just months after the framework agreement between men’s golf’s main tours was announced, with the Spaniard currently one of the marquee players on the breakaway circuit.

Rahm reached a deal with the DP World Tour last week which will see him retain his membership and remain eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup, although remains under a long-term LIV contract despite questions over their future.

“I was never thinking that I was going to be any sort of weight that would tip the scale to make things [golf’s tours] come together,” Rahm insisted. “That was never an argument in my mind. I never made a decision based on that.

“I’ve made a lot of decisions in my life, and I’ve never gone back thinking ‘oh, had I known this again, I would do X and Y differently’. I could do that about 15 different golf shots on the golf course every single day. If I lived my life like that as a golfer, I would be a very pessimistic person.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, and all we can do is learn from things that happen in the past – good and bad. To speculate on what could have done, what could have been different, doesn’t really make much sense.”

He added: “We all think what could have been and what couldn’t have been. It’s inevitable. Whatever decision you’ve made or choice is thought through and made for the reasons that you think are proper reasons, there’s no sense in dwelling on it.

“It’s just some things that are out of my control. Out of the few talents I have in my life, fixing a business is not one of them. I might be the worst person for that. My job is to play golf. Luckily I’m decent at it and that’s what I can focus on, right. What I can focus on is the next shot.

“It’s the people in charge of LIV, whose job I do not envy for a second – not now, not when things are going good – because it’s not something I think I can do. It’s their job to fix it.

“When it comes to compartmentalising, when you see it from that point of view, there’s really not much to it. I have faith in the work that they’re doing. I have faith that they’re going to come up with a good plan.

“Until that plan is explained to us, not that there isn’t anything to worry about, but I don’t think I need to add any attention to it.”

Who will win the PGA Championship? Watch throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage from the opening round begins on Thursday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.