McIlroy Backs Claim LIV Wanted to ‘Destroy’ DP World Tour, as 2027 Ban Looms for ‘LIV 2.0’ Signings

Rory McIlroy has thrown his weight behind the DP World Tour’s hard line on LIV Golf, saying he agrees with the claim that the Saudi-backed breakaway wanted to “destroy” the European circuit. His comments come as LIV scrambles for survival after losing its main source of funding.

Speaking at Yas Links before the Abu Dhabi event, McIlroy was asked about remarks DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings made in an interview with the Scotsman. “I agree with everything that Guy said,” McIlroy said. “They took players; they took sponsors; they turned professional golf into an arms race.” He then added a claim of his own: “They were going around Augusta saying they wanted to destroy the European Tour.”

What Kinnings said and why it matters for 2027

Kinnings said he had heard from many people he has known for more than 30 years and trusts “implicitly” that destroying the DP World Tour was one of LIV’s aims. He said LIV had spent, “so we are told,” more than $7bn. That figure is attributed hearsay rather than a confirmed number. The Independent, by contrast, reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund withdrew after spending $5bn.

Kinnings used that claim to justify the tour’s membership and invitation policy for 2027. Anyone who signs up for a “LIV 2.0” will not be eligible for the DP World Tour next year, he said. The message is to play on one tour or the other, not both. He framed this as a duty to protect members of a tour that has existed for more than 50 years. He also stressed that it pays staff, suppliers and contractors on time.

Kinnings has also said he understands the sensitivity around players who want to return. Any route back, he said, should be as fair and merit-based as possible, though “there is probably no perfect solution.” Players, he added, must prove themselves within the system regardless of who they are.

LIV’s funding collapse and the player exodus

LIV has filed for bankruptcy protection, with reports describing a Chapter 11 filing, while it looks to “begin the next chapter.” Reports say it has lost a string of marquee names since the season ended. Jon Rahm, who is playing in Abu Dhabi this week, and Sergio García are among them, and the Independent also lists Ian Poulter.

McIlroy, 37, said the outcome was predictable. In his view, the project was “always going to be good for a few years” until the backers either saw no return on their investment or moved on to something that would actually make money.

McIlroy’s case for a reset

The Northern Irishman did not dismiss everything LIV brought. He noted that players have never been better paid and said golfing greats such as Jack Nicklaus would have “loved LIV to come around in their day.” But he argued that the upheaval handed players “a lot of leverage over the tours,” which he does not see as healthy for the wider game. “There has to be a bit of give and take,” he said, calling for a reset. He predicted the sport will look back on this period as “a very strange time.”

The timing is pointed. McIlroy, who plays both the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, is in Abu Dhabi chasing a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title. He is also one of the game’s most prominent voices on how the tours should treat those who left.

Note that the Augusta claim rests on McIlroy’s word alone. The sources do not say who made the remarks or when, and no LIV response was included in the coverage. What is clear is that, with the money gone, the DP World Tour’s leadership and its biggest star are aligned on one point: the way back will not be automatic.

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File photo: Rory McIlroy watches drive flight (portrait orientation).jpg by TourProGolfClubs, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.