'I was hearing...' - Rory McIlroy drops what golf pros knew about LIV Golf struggles

Rory McIlroy has spoken out about the peril faced by the LIV Golf breakaway league after it lost its primary funding source.

McIlroy remained on the PGA Tour when LIV Golf launched in 2022. Players who are signed with LIV Golf are ineligible for PGA Tour events, with those returning from the breakaway facing potential sanctions.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) confirmed that it will cease its funding of LIV Golf, which it has supported to the tune of a reported $5 billion, sparking speculation about the future of the organisation.

Several members of the LIV Golf roster have been asked about their plans in the event that the breakaway league collapses, with several ruling out a return to the PGA Tour.

The 2026 LIV Golf League roster includes a host of star names.

Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson and Jon Rahm are among the team captains, with seven events remaining in the current season.

Career grand slam winner McIlroy highlighted the obstacles in the way of reintegration for any LIV players who do plan to cross back over the divide.

"Obviously the guys over there are under contract, and if they are able to keep it going and get a schedule together next year, it seems like those guys are still going to play the majority of their golf on LIV, in whatever form it takes," said the Northern Irishman.

Now, the reigning Masters champion has revealed that talk of trouble at LIV Golf has been bouncing around on the other side for some time.

Rory McIlroy on the existential threat facing LIV Golf

“It was always a possibility,” said McIlroy via The Guardian.

“I feel like a lot of us, ­including me, we almost knew before the [LIV] players did that this was going to happen. I was hearing about this back in March, April time.

“I have friends over there. One of my best friends, Ricky [McCormick], caddies for Tom McKibbin. I would talk to him all the time about what was going on. I was saying to Ricky: ‘Have you guys heard any of this stuff?’ He was like: ‘No, everything seems OK over here.’

“It just feels like the rug was pulled from under their feet and everyone was sort of blindsided by it. That’s the risk that those guys chose to take. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the air right now.”