McIlroy says LIV Golf wanted to ‘destroy’ European Tour

Rory McIlroy says people connected to LIV Golf were telling others at this year’s Masters that the breakaway league wanted to “destroy the European Tour” — a claim that renews the dispute over LIV’s impact on professional golf as it seeks a future after losing Saudi financial backing.

McIlroy, speaking at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, said he agreed with DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings, who had told the Scotsman that LIV’s stated aim was to “destroy the DP World Tour”. McIlroy said the comments were made at Augusta National, where he won the Masters for a second consecutive year.

“They took players; they took sponsors; they turned professional golf into an arms race,” McIlroy said. “They were going around Augusta saying they wanted to destroy the European Tour.”

LIV has not responded to the remarks in the BBC report. The league, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), attracted leading players after launching in 2022. The PIF withdrew its backing after investing more than $5bn, and LIV filed for bankruptcy protection last month. Possible $300m financing from BC Partners Credit could support a revamped version of the league, the BBC reported.

McIlroy said he believed professional golf would undergo a “reset”, arguing that the financial competition created by LIV was not sustainable. “If you want sustainable tours, and we want these tours around in 50 years’ time, there has to be sustainable business practices in place,” he said.

The comments come as several leading players, including Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia, have left LIV. McIlroy is also competing in Abu Dhabi as he pursues a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title. He is third in the standings, 999.03 points behind leader Eugenio Chacarra, with two events remaining.