Rory McIlroy opens door to LIV Golf stars returning: "They've paid their consequences..."

Rory McIlroy has reignited the debate around LIV Golf — and this time, he’s thrown the door wide open for its biggest stars to return.

Speaking candidly to Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher on The Overlap, the grand slam champion insisted the game is crying out for its best players to face off more often — even if that means welcoming back familiar LIV faces like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm.

McIlroy, 36, admitted LIV’s Saudi-backed breakaway league has had one unintended consequence: it has supercharged the majors and the Ryder Cup by funnelling all the elite players into just a handful of events each year. 

But The Masters champion has warned that isn’t enough to keep golf truly relevant.

Watch: Roy Keane's explosive golf rant was so bad Ian Wright had to leave the room before Rory McIlroy interview

McIlroy has made it clear he would have no personal issue if defectors were allowed back into the fold.

"They've made the money but they've paid their consequences in terms of their reputation and some of the things they have lost by going over there," he told The Overlap podcast.

"If it made the overall tour stronger to have Bryson back and whoever else I would be OK with it but I recognise not everyone is in my position - it would be up to the collective group of PGA Tour members to make that decision."

Watch McIlroy's full interview on The Overlap here: 

LIV Golf has already suffered a major blow with last month's shock exit of five-time major champion Brooks Koepka — a move that has raised fresh questions about the league’s long-term credibility as it continues its fight for world ranking points. 

A fresh update on LIV Golf's ongoing process with OWGR was made by chairman Trevor Immelman earlier this week. 

Koepka’s current situation also leaves the PGA Tour facing a familiar headache. 

Traditionally, returning players are required to serve a one-year suspension, though the DP World Tour remains a possible route back after his limited schedule last season.

McIlroy acknowledged that opinions will be divided, but stressed the bigger picture matters more than grudges.

"The thing it (LIV) has done is elevated the majors and the Ryder Cup because only four or five times a year you see all the best players playing together," said McIlroy. 

"For golf to be relevant I think we need the best players together more often than that."

However, McIlroy didn’t stop there. 

The Northern Irishman also cast serious doubt over LIV Golf’s future, questioning whether the breakaway league has made enough impact to justify the vast sums being poured into it.

Despite handing out eye-watering contracts and finally landing TV deals with broadcasters such as ITV and DAZN, LIV has struggled to win over traditional fans or break properly into the mainstream.

• Bryson DeChambeau breaks silence over LIV Golf contract

Plans for a shock alliance between LIV, the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour — first announced in the summer of 2023 — remain stuck in limbo.

McIlroy revealed just how close things came earlier this year: "It was close but they never got there."

The World No.2 believes there may come a point when even Saudi Arabia’s seemingly endless financial backing starts to run out.

"If LIV is failing to capture the imagination and they've spent so much money on this venture and it's not making a return for them I don't know how much longer they can keep it going," added McIlroy. 

"I think, at the end of the day, they just want a seat at the table so how do you give them a seat at the table and try to mend the fracture?

"It's hard because you're trying to give everyone a win but to give everyone a win everyone is going to feel like they have lost."

One thing is clear: McIlroy believes golf’s civil war cannot drag on forever — and whether fans like it or not, the game’s biggest names may yet find themselves back on the same tee more often than anyone expected.