Rory McIlroy confirms he will not be joining the LIV Golf League

Rory McIlroy has confirmed in an interview with ESPN's Marty Smith that he will not be joining the LIV Golf League despite recent speculation linking him with a shock move away from the PGA Tour.

McIlroy's former manager Chubby Chandler fuelled talk of a potential switch in allegiance for the four-time major champion during a recent interview with Bunkered.

Chandler also told GolfMagic last month he thinks McIlroy has 'performed the most unbelievable 180 turn' in his stance on all things LIV Golf in 2024.

Related: LIV Golf pro casts serious doubt over PGA Tour / PIF deal

LIV Golf signed Jon Rahm at the end of 2023, before securing the services of two more European stars in Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk in February. 

Rahm reportedly signed for $600m.

The signing of Rahm came just after McIlroy chose to step down as a player director on the PGA Tour board having served for a number of years. 

McIlroy admitted on The Overlap recently that he had never been made an official offer to join LIV Golf.

But rumours suggest a monumental figure of $950m was on the table for him if he ever did fancy a move away from the PGA Tour.

Having once said LIV Golf was 'dead in the water' and that PGA Tour members should face the consequences for joining the Saudi-backed circuit in 2022, McIlroy recently told the media he would welcome back some of the world's biggest players on LIV Golf with open arms. "Let them come back," he said. 

But despite McIlroy softening his stance on LIV Golf and removing his seat from the PGA Tour table, the World No.2 has assured PGA Tour fans he will not be going anywhere.

Tradition and history of the PGA Tour means everything to McIlroy, he said in his interview with Smith, which you can watch below. 

McIlroy does, however, hope the world's best players can all come together again at some point down the line. 

That will happen - albeit briefly and without Talor Gooch - in the first major of the season at The Masters* from 11-14 April. 

WATCH MCILROY'S INTERVIEW

No one was more vehemently against LIV Golf than Rory McIlroy. No one defended the PGA Tour more aggressively.

From afar, his stance seems to have softened. Speculation ensued.

At Bay Hill Weds I asked him directly what consideration he’s given to joining LIV:



“It’s not for me.” pic.twitter.com/1rQiq6X94g

— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) March 7, 2024

McIlroy told ESPN's Marty Smith:

McIlroy addressed the LIV Golf rumours head on with Smith 24 hours before getting off to a lacklustre start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at famed Bay Hill.

The Northern Irishman carded a 1-over 73 in a round that contained three birdies and four bogeys, two of which came at par-5s. 

McIlroy found the water with his second shot to the par-5 6th - a hole where John Daly once made an incredible 18. 

That led to his first bogey of the day to bring him back to level par having earlier birdied the par-3 2nd from 18 feet.

McIlroy missed a four-footer for par on the par-3 7th and a five-footer for par at the par-4 9th to go out in 2-over par.

He stuffed his approach at the par-4 11th for a kick-in birdie but then immediately handed it back at the par-5 12th when going long into the rough with his greenside bunker shot. 

McIlroy then two-putted for birdie on the par-5 16th en route to a 73. 

It leaves McIlroy in T49 and with plenty of work to do to get back in the mix for a first PGA Tour title of 2024 and a second win at Bay Hill having won there in 2018. 

At the top of the board, Ireland's Shane Lowry continued his recent good form by taking the first-round lead with a solid 6-under 66. 

Lowry, who fell out of contention in the final group at the Honda Classic on Monday, leads by one shot over recent Genesis Invitational winner Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Lower.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler switched to a mallet putter for the first time in a while but he still lost shots to the field (-1.589) on the greens with a SG: Putting rank of 59th.

However, Scheffler remains in the mix for a second Arnold Palmer Invitational in three years at 2-under par in T20. 

VIEW FULL SCORES HERE

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