Rory McIlroy flirting with LIV Golf move should set off PGA Tour alarm bells

28 February 2024 , 18:52

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Rory McIlroy addressed his links to LIV Golf (Image: @GolfDigest)

Rory McIlroy refused to rule out making a shock move to LIV Golf, after his former agent Andrew 'Chubby' Chandler hinted he could well make the switch.

McIlroy had previously been one of LIV's biggest critics, admitting he would rather 'retire' than follow Phil Mickelson and co in joining the breakaway league. The Northern Irishman has since softened his stance on the rival league in recent months, leading Chandler to claim that there was a chance he could make the unthinkable move.

“I think number one, there’s a 10% possibility he’s favouring his way to sign for LIV," the ex-agent told Bunkered. "But he realises that the whole bickering and fighting is no good for golf.

READ MORE: Rory McIlroy 'could make LIV Golf switch' claims former agent following change of heart

"The man in the street must find it appalling the sums of money being spoken.” McIlroy himself has now broken the silence on his former agent's comments, and hinted there may be some truth in the claims. "I spoke to Chubby," the Northern Irishman revealed ahead of this week's Cognizant Classic.

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"I might have saw him in the Middle East at the start of the year. Never know. He might know a few things [about a LIV Golf move]. Who knows?" Assessing his own chances of joining LIV, after Chandler labelled it at a strong chance, before changing to '10 percent', as McIlroy added: "Somewhere in the middle maybe. Who knows."

Speaking at the turn of the year, the four-time major champion admitted he may have been slightly over-critical when it came to the rise of the Saudi-backed league and its players. "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 realise that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Woods' position," McIlroy told Sky Bet's Stick to Football in January.

Rory McIlroy had previously been a big critic of the breakaway league (Getty Images)

"We all turn professionals to making a living playing the sports that we do, and I think that’s what I realised over the last two years. I can’t judge people for making that decision, so if I regret anything, it was probably being too judgmental at the start." More recently the 34-year-old also revealed he was open to his LIV rivals returning to the PGA Tour in some capacity in the future.

Speaking at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in January, McIlroy claimed that he felt the likes of Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm should be able to make a comeback to the PGA Tour without the fear of punishment, with a proposed merger between the two rival circuits looming.

I think it's hard to punish people," he claimed. "I don't think there should be a punishment for - obviously I've changed my tune on that because I see where golf is and I see that having a diminished PGA Tour and having a diminished LIV Tour or anything else is bad for both parties."

Joshua Lees