Rory McIlroy is back in action this week at the 2026 DP World India Championship. Here, he hopes to gain ground on Patrick Reed as he approaches his record eighth Race to Dubai title.
A different topic, however, hangs over the proceedings in India this week: the The recently announced DP World Tour ban for LIV Golf players in 2027.
On Wednesday morning, just two days after the tour announced its LIV major decision, McIlroy sat down for a press conference at Delhi Golf Club. Although his Race-to-Dubai pursuit didn’t come up while answering reporters’ questions, the DP World Tour’s new anti-LIV rule did.
In his responses, McIlroy mounted a detailed defense of the DP World Tour, arguing that tour officials were “well within their rights” to change the rules and regulations. He also backed the decision to ban LIV players from next year’s events, arguing that it was necessary to protect the future of the DP World Tour.
Rory McIlroy on LIV ban: “DP World Tour has been more than accommodating”
There have been a ton of developments in the LIV Golf saga since the league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September. But, as for The departure of Jon Rahmthe biggest news drop this week.
On Monday, the DP World Tour announced that any player who signed up for LIV 2.0 in 2027 would not be allowed to play in DP World Tour tournaments. Many LIV players plan to split their time between LIV and the DP World Tour next year. But with one move, the DP World Tour has taken that option off the table. The decision also means that players will not be eligible for the 2027 European Ryder Cup team if they play in LIV in 2027.
If players flee LIV en masse due to the DP World Tour decision, it could spell the end for the upstart league.
In his DP World India press conference, McIlroy began his defense of the LIV ban from the DP World Tour by explaining that the DPWT is a “members’ organization”, and that you have to respect the rules of the tour to keep your membership, as is the case in the PGA Tour.
“But, yes, we, as the DP World Tour, are a membership organization, just like the PGA Tour is a membership organization. Every year before you play your first event you sign up to abide by the rules and regulations of the membership organization,” explained McIlroy. “The Australian Open is the start of next season, before playing the Australian Open, I will sign a document that commits me to respect the rules and regulations of the DP World Tour. When I go to play my first event in America, I will sign a document that commits me to respect the rules and regulations of the PGA Tour.”
McIlroy therefore argued that the fact that players have to accept the rules and regulations of a tour “is not new information”.
“Everyone who plays on those tours does exactly the same thing. This is not new information. Everyone does that every year,” McIlroy said.
But of course the DP World Tour rule banning LIV players is new information. In previous years, the DP World Tour was more open to LIV players competing in its events than the PGA Tour. As long as a player has paid fines for playing in LIV events opposed to DP World Tour events, they have been allowed to play most DP World Tour tournaments and remain eligible for the Ryder Cup.
Now that is no longer the case. But McIlroy said he would support the change anyway, arguing that the DP World Tour has the right to change the rules to “protect its business.”
“The leadership or management of those membership organizations have the right to change and adapt the rules and regulations where they see fit to protect their business or their rights,” said McIlroy. “That’s what the DP World Tour does.”
McIlroy went on to say that the DP World Tour has been “more than accommodating” to LIV’s players, and the tour’s decision was necessary as it tries to work on its “strategic alliance” with the PGA Tour.
“I think with the way the golf landscape is, I know that the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour are working very hard to find a suitable landing to continue with the strategic alliance,” McIlroy argued. “I think while they’re doing that, LIV is in such a state of flux that, you know, I think the DP World Tour has been more than accommodating to LIV players.”
Additionally, McIlroy said the LIV ban from the DP World Tour was a “good decision” because it adds certainty to pro golf after years of constant change.
“You know, yes, they had to maybe do some things that were conditioned on their membership, like playing a couple of extra events this year, but I think that was still coming,” McIlroy said on Wednesday. “I think that the DP World Tour has made a good decision, because the landscape of golf, I feel that it has changed constantly for the last four, five years. Now it has come to the point where the guys have to make a decision and what is important to them and what they really want to do.”
Ultimately, he explained, the tour did what he thought was necessary to secure his own future.
“As I said, the DP World Tour is well within their rights to change the rules and regulations. This is the way to protect their business and make the tour as strong as possible,” said McIlroy.
McIlroy supports the invitation of LIV professionals to the PGA Tour
A day before, McIlroy sat down for an interview with the Bloomberg New Economy Forumduring which McIlroy spoke at length Terrible situation of LIV and how about the rest of the golf pro.
While claimed that LIV was “making money” by enriching pro golfers instead of supporting other areas of the game, he also made a surprising statement about the potential for LIV players to join the PGA Tour.
First, McIlroy explained that there is a wide range of opinions among PGA Tour members, who would need to approve any plan to return LIV Golf players to the Tour.
“On the one hand, I’m sure that some members who have been loyal will feel hard done if these guys can just walk straight back. But on the other hand, having these players back on your tour is very good for business. That can increase revenue and then everyone can benefit from it,” said McIlroy. “So there’s definitely a balance there.”
But when he was asked directly if he would vote in favor of the LIV star golf professionals who are invited to the PGA Tour, he said he would, arguing that the return of some players would be good for business.
“Yes, I do. I think a rising tide lifts all boats, and I think having some of these players back is beneficial to the tour business,” McIlroy said. “Absolutely.”
