Rory McIlroy says he regrets being so judgmental about LIV Golf

“I think, at this point, I was maybe a little judgmental of the guys who went to LIV Golf at the start, and I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realize that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Woods’s position,” McIlroy said on the “Stick to Football” podcast hosted by former Manchester United player Gary Neville.

“We all turn professional to make a living playing the sports that we do, and I think that’s what I realized over the last two years. I can’t judge people for making that decision.”

In June, the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which operates LIV Golf, stunned the golf world by announcing their intention to join together on a for-profit commercial entity, ending months of acrimony between the two sides. But they have yet to come to a concrete agreement despite a Dec. 31 deadline, and the PGA Tour also has begun negotiating with a consortium of American professional sports team owners about joining the enterprise.

Deadline passes, but PGA Tour and Saudis plan to continue negotiations

In the midst of the negotiations, defending Masters champion and world No. 3 Jon Rahm — himself a former critic of LIV Golf’s 54-hole, no-cut format — announced in early December that he would be joining LIV Golf for its upcoming season, robbing the PGA Tour of one of its biggest draws. McIlroy said this week that his stance on LIV began to soften after Rahm’s departure, calling it a “smart business move.”

McIlroy previously had not been shy about his low opinion of LIV Golf. In July, he said he hated the league and hoped it went away.

“If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on earth, I would retire. That’s how I feel about it,” McIlroy said at the time. “I’d play the majors. I’d be pretty comfortable.”

McIlroy, ranked No. 2 in the world and a four-time major champion, still had harsh words for the golfers who were “talking crap” about the PGA Tour after they joined LIV Golf for its inaugural season.

“I don’t begrudge anyone for going and taking the money and doing something different, but don’t try to burn the place down on your way out,” he said on the podcast. “I think it’s just created this division that will hopefully stop soon because I think it’s the best thing for golf, too.”

Phil Mickelson, the LIV golfer who is one of the sport’s most popular players and who led the push to create a rival to the PGA Tour, said he was encouraged by McIlroy’s comments.

“This quote and the many others made today by Rory probably weren’t easy to say. Let’s not use this as an opportunity to pile on. Rather, It’s time for me and others to let go of our hostilities and work towards a positive future,” Mickelson, who has not been shy about needling the PGA Tour and its supporters, wrote on X. “Rahms’ signing is turning into a bridge to bring both sides together, as evidenced by the many comments today and a month ago about changing the rules for the Ryder Cup so Jon and others can play, so let’s use it as such. Until an agreement is reached it will be business as usual for both sides but hopefully without the needless disdain.”

McIlroy reiterated some of his criticisms of the PGA Tour during the podcast, specifically its inability to guarantee to its tournament sponsors that its top players will show up at events. He also said he hoped to see LIV eventually resemble something like the Indian Premier League in cricket, which once was branded as a “rebel” breakaway circuit but has since become one of the most popular sports leagues in the world.

“They take two months during the calendar. You’ve got your four weeks in May and your four weeks in November and you go and do this team stuff and it’s a bit different and it’s a different format,” McIlroy said.

“If they were to do something like that I’d be, ‘Yeah, that sounds like fun,’ because you are at least working within the ecosystem.”