Rory McIlroy believes LIV Golf players face a "tough road back" to the PGA Tour following Saudi Arabia's withdrawal of financial support for the breakaway league. With next week's Team Championship cancelled and this week's Indianapolis event serving as LIV's season finale, uncertainty surrounds the league's future. Five-time Major winner Brooks Koepka rejoined the PGA Tour in January under a deal requiring him to forfeit player equity shares for five years, along with a $5m charity donation. McIlroy questioned whether LIV players have "brought value to LIV" and predicted others like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm would face even tougher conditions if they sought to return. "I'm not part of the discussions but I'm pretty sure they aren't going to be welcomed back straight away," McIlroy stated before the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St Louis. He noted that the returning member programme Koepka took in February has expired, suggesting future deals would be less favorable.
Meanwhile, world number one Scottie Scheffler dominated the BMW Championship with a runaway victory, bringing his career earnings to $119,964,411, just behind Tiger Woods' record of $120,999,166. Scheffler, however, refused to compare himself to Woods, emphasizing that financial rewards relate to purse sizes rather than overall career achievements. The 30-year-old American has 21 PGA Tour wins compared to Woods' 82 victories.
"Tiger did a lot for the game of golf and he put us in a position where we're able to earn some pretty good stuff financially, so that's something we're very grateful for," Scheffler commented, acknowledging Woods' contributions to increasing tournament purses since his emergence on tour.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing