Rory McIlroy Shades Bryson DeChambeau and LIV Golfers as League Looks Close to Collapse
The reigning Masters champ, 37, has previously been outspoken about LIV Golf
Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau Credit: David Cannon/Getty; Han Myung-Gu/Getty NEED TO KNOW Rory McIlroy took a shaded shot at Bryson DeChambeau While speaking to reporters about LIV Golf, McIlroy said that the PGA Tour was more competitive The rival golfers had a famous back-and-forth last year at the Masters One year after their infamous Masters pairing, Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau are no closer to seeing eye to eye, it appears. While at the Truist Championship over the weekend, the two-time Masters champ, 37, spoke out about LIV Golf, whose future remains uncertain amid funding woes. “If you want to be the most competitive golfer you can be, this [the PGA Tour] is the place to be,” McIlroy told reporters .
“And if you don’t want to play here, I think that says something about you. ” DeChambeau, 32, who is in his final year of his contract with LIV, is said to be entertaining talks about returning to the PGA Tour, and has previously told ESPN and SI , that he might focus on growing his YouTube channel while playing in the tournaments that “want him” if LIV goes away. Rory McIlroy at the 2026 Masters Credit: Hector Vivas/Getty Yet McIlroy — who has been vocal in the past about LIV — is dialing back his previous criticism of the tour and remaining optimistic about the future should the league fold.
“It all depends on what happens to LIV,” he said. “But if it is a scenario where they have the option to come back and play on the traditional tours, you know, I think [PGA Tour CEO] Brian Rolapp has said anything that makes this Tour stronger, anything that makes the DP World Tour stronger, I think everyone should be open to that. ” Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE's free sports newsletter — sign up now!
He added, “That’s just good business practice. ” McIlroy and DeChambeau previously were involved in a controversy regarding their play in the 2024 Masters. The two rivals, who were paired together during the final round of the major, had a heated back-and-forth on the 9th green— and McIlroy says their disagreement helped fuel him to go on to win and finally clinch the career Grand Slam.