Rory McIlroy drops bombshell claim Donald Trump "is NOT a fan" of LIV Golf format

Rory McIlroy has dropped a bombshell claim that newly-elected United States President and avid golfer Donald Trump recently told him he is NOT a fan of the current LIV Golf League format - and that is despite several of his own courses having hosted LIV Golf tournaments.

Trump, 78, admitted before becoming U.S. President at the end of 2024 that he would be able to sort the PGA Tour's deal with LIV Golf's bankrollers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), "within the space of 15 minutes." 

The PGA Tour recently sent a message out to the golf world that their commissioner Jay Monahan and former Masters champion and board director Adam Scott had arranged a personal meeting with Trump to try and get a deal over the line with PIF. 

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But despite Trump-owned golf courses having staged a number of LIV Golf tournaments, and once again this season, McIlroy, 35, admits the POTUS is not hugely convinced about the LIV Golf format at this very moment in time. 

Trump is also a close friend of LIV Golf star and two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau. 

LIV Golf events are staged over three rounds with limited fields and shotgun starts.

Individual tournaments run alongside a team event, with all four player scores from each round now contributing to the team's total score. 

LIV Golf League events are still not included for Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. 

Scroll down for McIlroy's comments...

Donald Trump is NOT a fan of the LIV Golf format, admits Rory McIlroy

McIlroy made his latest claim about Trump ahead of this week's Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines South where he will bid to win back-to-back events to the start the 2025 PGA Tour season. 

The World No.3 told a pool of reporters that he played a round with Trump last month and it was there where he made his LIV Golf revelation. 

"It was great," McIlroy said of his most recent meeting with U.S. President Trump.

"Yeah, it was really good, it was really good. I thought we had a good discussion. 

"I learnt that he's not a fan of the LIV format. I was like, but you've hosted their events. He was like, yeah, but it doesn't mean that I like it. So I think he's on the [PGA] Tour's side."

Three Trump-owned golf courses have hosted LIV Golf tournaments since the breakway league's inauguration in 2022. 

Trump National GC Bedminster in New Jersey hosted events in 2022 and 2023, Trump National Doral Miami hosted the Team Championship in 2022 and 2023, and it will also play host to LIV Golf Miami in April 2025, and Trump National GC Washington hosted an event in 2023. 

As for Trump being able to help the PGA Tour sign off its expected deal with PIF, McIlroy believes the President's involvement will certainly help speed up the process. 

"So the President, he can do a lot of things," McIlroy said of Trump. 

"He can also -- he has direct access to Yasir's boss. Not many people have that. Not many people can say, I want you to get this deal done and by the way, I'm speaking to your boss, I'm going to tell him the same thing. 

"There's a few things that he can do. He can be influential. He loves the game of golf, he has -- I saw it when I was playing -- I was playing with a -- I was playing with Sheik Hamdan of Abu Dhabi the day when he got elected in November and the respect he has in the Middle East is -- I don't think people appreciate how much respect that he has there. 

"So I think whenever he says something or he -- they listen and I think that's a big thing."

Trump also played a round of golf with Tiger Woods last weekend. 

Woods, 49, was hoping to return to the PGA Tour at this week's Genesis Invitational - an event that benefits his Tiger Woods Foundation.

But the 15-time major champion has withdrawn his name from the field in order to process the recent death of his mother Kultida. 

"I'm just not ready," admitted Woods. 

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