Rory McIlroy could be on the verge of joining LIV Golf if rumours are to be believed in a deal rumoured to be worth $850 million plus an ownership stake in the league.
The move, if it happened, would be quite the turnaround for McIlroy, who had up until a few months ago cited his disdain for LIV Golf since its inception and his loyalty to the PGA Tour for which he is the poster boy.
However, in recent months he’s become less vocal on the subject, with even some indications of a complete shift in mentality.
His resignation from the PGA Tour board was one of the first signals of shift in perspective for McIlroy, who described feeling like a “sacrificial lamb” after news emerged about a merger between PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
City AM, one of London’s most-read financial newspapers, claim to have two sources indicating a deal for McIlroy to LIV is close. The mega-deal will include a 2 per cent equity.
But will McIlroy be tempted by the billion-dollar deal?
Rory McIlroy to LIV odds
| Will Rory McIlroy Join LIV Golf in 2024 | Odds | Implied Probability |
| Yes | 1/2 | 66.7% |
| No | 15/8 | 34.8% |
Digital PR Manager & Oddsmaker for Casinos.com Colm Phelan comments: “With these types of reports, there has rarely been smoke without fire. With other former PGA Tour superstars, once it hit the rumour mill it almost always came to fruition. Dustin Johnson, Cam Smith, Brooks Koepka and most recently Jon Rahm had all been hotly tipped to join before putting pen to paper. Some had even taken similar stances to McIlroy on the Saudi-backed league.
“Even in the case of Tiger Woods, his LIV Golf story was how he had turned down a bumper payday, as opposed to one being on the table he was considering.
“It would be an incredible U-turn from McIlroy, that’s for sure. But he resigned from the PGA Tour board and had made some cryptic comments in the media that signalled a shift in his thought processes. Combined this with the fact this is essentially billion-dollar deal and suddenly, it’s not too farfetched of an idea.”
Related: Will Leeds United poach Phillips back from West Ham and Man City?