Scottie Scheffler is not opposed to the return of LIV Golf players who chased after Saudi money, but with some form of a penalty. Rory McIlroy could see unification at some point, though he paused when asked Wednesday about the value they would bring to the PGA Tour.
“I mean, I’d argue have they brought value to LIV?” McIlroy said at the BMW Championship.
LIV Golf's future is under scrutiny with the event this week near Indianapolis being the last one of a league that no longer gets funding from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.
LIV CEO Scott O'Neil was scheduled to give an update on the future of the league that has an agreement with a lead investor and plans to reshape how it operates.
Brooks Koepka was the first player to return to the PGA Tour this year, with stipulations that he could not play $20 million signature events unless he earned his way, paid $5 million to charity and had no access to equity. The tour put the penalty value at $50 million and upward.
The tour then offered the same deal — and two weeks to decide on it — to Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, all major champions dating to the launch of LIV in 2022.
“When we talk about the best players, LIV has a few players that are really good,” Scheffler said. "I think the depth that we have on our tour is unmatched, but I think when you look at the higher levels of LIV Golf there’s definitely some players that would provide a lot of value to the tour, and guys that I love competing against as well.
“So I think going forward there obviously has to be, I think, some sort of penalties.”
What those penalties are he said would be up to PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp.
McIlroy has been the biggest critic of LIV from the start. He has toned down his rhetoric over the years, though he suggested in February 2025 that players “have to get over it” when it comes to finding a way to bring defectors back.
He sounded more reluctant Wednesday, noting that top players had their chances to return at the start of the year and whatever offer likely would not be as good as it was for Koepka.
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