McIlroy expects a wave of departures
LIV Golf is insolvent, the contracts are torn up, and roughly four dozen of the best-paid players in the sport are suddenly free agents. Rory McIlroy was asked about it on Wednesday at Doonbeg, a day out from defending his Irish Open title.
“I’m not in their shoes, but when LIV first launched it looked a lot more appealing financially than what LIV 2.0 might be,” the Northern Irishman said. “I’m not trying to predict the future, but I think we’re going to see guys leave, because they’re now free to do so, with the contracts torn up by the insolvency filing.”
LIV executives are still trying to put the league back together. Nobody inside it has any guarantee the money returns, or that the prize funds ever get back to where they were.
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The DP World Tour stands to collect
“I think it puts the other tours in a position where they’ve got decisions to make. And there are obviously a lot of players on LIV who can strengthen events and make them more competitive,” said the 37-year-old, currently world No. 2. “I’d see that as a good thing for the DP World Tour. And I think the health of the DP World Tour is very good.”
Forty-two tournaments across 25 countries in 2026. That is the European circuit’s schedule, and a wave of free agents would land hardest on the mid-season stops where the fields thin out.
An Irish Open played behind a security cordon
This week’s tournament is at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland in Doonbeg, County Clare, and Donald Trump intends to show up at the course carrying his name. Cordons have gone up. Players and spectators are both working around restrictions that do not usually apply at a DP World Tour event.
McIlroy, six majors to his name, is seeing the layout for the first time this week. He was asked about the visit.
“When the sitting President of the United States goes anywhere, it becomes a logistical challenge. They have to lock down a specific area and make sure it’s safe,” he said. “His presence at the Irish Open makes it a truly international event. It brings more attention and more eyes to the tournament.”
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