Rory McIlroy has revealed that during Masters week in April 2026, LIV Golf figures were going around Augusta National telling people they wanted to destroy the DP World Tour. Seven months later, with the breakaway league’s future in doubt, the European circuit is deciding whether to readmit some of the very players LIV had recruited.
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McIlroy made the revelation in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, November 4, ahead of the DP World Tour’s first playoff event. Asked about DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings’ recent comments on LIV’s intentions and the policy governing former LIV players seeking to return, McIlroy strongly backed his assessment. He also disclosed that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were close to reaching a new agreement covering their relationship after 2027.
“I know they are working through a new agreement with the PGA Tour post-2027, after the first Strategic Alliance is sort of over or is able to be renegotiated,” McIlroy said, per Today’s Golfer. “Hopefully that will all get done over the next few weeks.”
The existing Strategic Alliance commits the PGA Tour to supporting European prize funds through payments worth more than $77 million in 2025. It also awards PGA Tour cards to the top 10 players on the Race to Dubai and gives the American circuit a stake in European Tour Productions, scheduled to increase from 15 to 40 percent by 2027. All three arrangements are subject to renegotiation.
McIlroy also sees an opportunity for the European circuit to become a more prominent force under the PGA Tour’s revamped schedule. With the American season expected to run primarily from February through August, he believes the DP World Tour could take center stage from September through January, using its Rolex Series events to attract elite fields. That would give established members a chance to compete alongside the world’s leading players after earning their places throughout the summer.
He also suggested that four PGA Tour cards for leading Race to Dubai players could represent a reasonable compromise, splitting the difference between the three reportedly preferred by the American circuit and the five sought by the European tour.
However, McIlroy’s strongest comments concerned Kinnings’ allegation. In an interview with The Scotsman, the DP World Tour chief executive said he had heard from several people he had known and trusted for more than 30 years that one of LIV’s objectives was to destroy the European circuit.
“They took players, they took sponsors, they turned professional golf into an arms race,” McIlroy said. Asked whether LIV figures had explicitly used that language at Augusta, he was emphatic: “Verbatim. They were going around at Augusta this year telling people that that’s what they wanted to do.”
The Scotsman reported that Kinnings had been given that message during an April meeting at Augusta National with LIV CEO Scott O’Neil, before Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund withdrew its financial backing. McIlroy’s remarks provided further support for Kinnings’ account, although he did not identify the individuals who made the alleged statements.
The allegation also contrasts with O’Neil’s public position in August, when he said the league did not intend to replace or restrict any tour, adding that “golf doesn’t need one tour to win and everyone else to lose.”
LIV’s financial position has since deteriorated sharply. In bankruptcy court, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund sits first in line on a loan of nearly $500 million made in June, while players owed hundreds of millions of dollars are unlikely to recover much of what they are due.
That uncertainty forms the backdrop to Kinnings’ proposed 2027 membership policy. Anyone signing with a relaunched LIV would be ineligible for DP World Tour membership, potentially ruling them out of Ryder Cup consideration as well. McIlroy backed the approach, while supporting limited opportunities for returning stars such as Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Sergio García through invitations to smaller national opens.
He also dismissed criticism that the policy was too generous or too restrictive, arguing that the wider consequences of the breakaway shouldn’t be overlooked. The Asian Tour, which accepted LIV investment before later aligning with both established circuits, showed why the European Tour should consider the broader picture.
McIlroy’s strongest criticism focused on the breakaway’s financial impact. He believes it gave players too much leverage and inflated prize funds beyond what professional golf could sustainably support. He expects the sport to undergo a financial reset.
That assessment is not universally shared. Lee Westwood has voiced concerns about the DP World Tour’s future, arguing that the proposed arrangements leave too many unanswered questions.
The leaderboard in Abu Dhabi offered a timely illustration of the opportunity McIlroy described. After three rounds, Jon Rahm led at 18-under, with Tyrrell Hatton and Francesco Laporta one shot behind. McIlroy was fourth at 16-under after a 67, with Adam Scott fifth at 15-under.
Other questions remain over the PGA Tour cards awarded to the top 10 Race to Dubai finishers, particularly as the American circuit prepares to introduce Championship and Challenger tiers in 2028. The European circuit must also integrate returning players without disadvantaging those who remained, a challenge Kinnings has acknowledged has no perfect solution.
McIlroy nevertheless believes the DP World Tour is in a stronger position than it has been for years, with a full schedule and many of the game’s leading players back in its fields. But the agreement he expects within weeks will help determine whether that strength lasts beyond 2027. After surviving the breakaway challenge, the European circuit now faces a different test: securing its financial and competitive future while taking advantage of a scheduling window that could give it a more prominent place in the global game.