Rory McIlroy emphatically shuts down LIV Golf rumours

Contrary to reports, Rory McIlroy will indeed not be joining LIV Golf. 

Rumours that the Northern Irishman was on the brink of a lucrative move to the Saudi-backed breakaway league sent social media into overdrive on Tuesday morning.

A report had emerged from the London-based City AM claiming that the four-time major champion could be about to jump ship from the PGA Tour for $850m, plus an equity stake in the Greg Norman-fronted start-up.

Those claims were quickly dismissed by McIlroy’s manager Sean Flaherty, who told the Irish Independent that the report was “fake news” and had “zero truth” to them.

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While McIlroy’s stance has evolved during the LIV saga, he has consistently pledged his loyalty to the PGA Tour and even explained last month why he would never consider a move to the rival circuit because he is “too much of a traditionalist.”

After a disappointing T22 finish in his tenth bid for the career grand slam at the Masters, McIlroy has arrived in South Carolina for the RBC Heritage this week, the latest of the PGA Tour’s signature events.

And it did not take long for the Northern Irishman to get asked about the rumours on the driving range at Harbour Town. When quizzed by the Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis, McIlroy’s response was emphatic.

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Exclusive: Rory McIlroy tells @ToddLewisGC that LIV Golf rumors are false and, "I will play the PGA Tour for the rest of my career." Tune into Golf Today at 5 p.m. EDT for more. pic.twitter.com/PIPAWMIWGh

— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) April 16, 2024

“I honestly don’t know how these things get started,” he said. “I have never been offered a number from LIV and have never contemplated going. I’ve made it clear over the past two years that I don’t think it’s something for me. Doesn’t mean that I judge people that have gone over and played over there.

“One of the things I’ve realised over the last two years is that people can make their own decisions for whatever they think is best for themselves. Who are we to judge that?

“Personally for me, my future is here on the PGA Tour. It’s never been any different.”

McIlroy’s dismissal comes after his former agent Chubby Chandler suggested to bunkered.co.uk earlier this year that his former player could be tempted by a LIV switch.

“If you were being cynical, you might say he’s going to sign for about £750million in a month’s time with LIV because he’s paving the way that LIV’s okay now, whereas it wasn’t,” Chandler claimed.

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.