Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose welcome a path back for LIV players

Rory McIlroy says he would vote to welcome former LIV Golf players back to the tours, arguing that their return could help the business while acknowledging the concerns of members who stayed.

He gave that answer to Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain at the New Economy Forum in New Delhi on October 13. Asked directly how he would vote, McIlroy replied, “Yes, I would.” He then pointed to the commercial benefit of bringing leading players back into the same competitions.

His explanation begins with the members. McIlroy said PGA Tour and DP World Tour leaders need to ask their players what they want, because some who remained would feel unfairly treated if former LIV players could immediately resume their places. He also argued that stronger fields could increase revenue and benefit the wider membership.

The interview offers his preferred direction without setting out a return timetable, eligibility test or set of penalties. Those details matter when separating a player’s support for reunification from an actual route back into tournament fields.

Rose also welcomes a return

Justin Rose made a similar case in a separate interview with Mirror Sports U.S. reporter Sam Frost, published October 16. Speaking in New Delhi during the DP World India Championship, Rose said he held no resentment toward players who had joined LIV.

“No hard feelings from my point of view. Everyone is welcome back,” Rose told Frost. He argued that golf benefits when its strongest players can compete against one another regularly, and said the disruption had pushed both established tours to improve.

Rose’s position supports McIlroy’s preference for bringing players together. Neither interview supplies the membership terms that would make that possible.

The membership question remains

There is an existing example of how specific a return arrangement can be. In August, PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp said there were no current plans to revive the Returning Member Program used by Brooks Koepka earlier in the year. Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner reported those comments on August 25, alongside Rolapp’s emphasis on membership rules, accountability and competitive merit. That was the tour’s position at that press conference.

McIlroy’s Bloomberg conversation also explained his personal interest in the split. He said he and Tiger Woods opposed LIV as it launched in 2022 while they were developing TGL. Players leaving for LIV reduced the pool they could recruit, he said, because TGL participation required PGA Tour membership.

He described friendships becoming more distant as players stopped appearing at the same tournaments and saw each other less often. His proposed repair starts with bringing players back together, while leaving the tours and their members to decide the terms.