Scottie Scheffler Disagrees With Rory McIlroy - Says LIV Golfers Should Return To PGA Tour

While Rory McIlroy was rather disparaging about what value LIV Golf players would bring to the PGA Tour, Scottie Scheffler says there's "a few players that are really good" who should be welcomed back.

The World No.1 does add that there should be penalties for any LIV Golf stars returning to the PGA Tour, but insisted some top guys "would provide a lot of value to the Tour" should they come back.

LIV Golf has a new potential investor lined up, but CEO Scott O'Neil has amitted he's on a deadline to try and get enough top players signed up to ensure the deal goes through.

There's plenty of specualtion about the future of top players, especially Jon Rahm with rumors of him seeking a PGA Tour return, so the topic of players returning is again a hot one.

McIlroy questioned whether LIV golfers added any value to their own tour, while warning the likes of Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau that it'd be a tough road back to the PGA Tour.

But Scheffler can see quality in the likes of Rahm, DeChambeau, and possibly players such as Tyrrell Hatton and Joaquin Niemann among others - and also would like the chance to compete aginst them again more regularly.

"When we talk about the best players, LIV has a few players that are really good," Scheffler said at the BMW Championship

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"I think the depth that we have on our Tour is bit unmatched, but I think when you look at the higher levels of LIV Golf there's definitely some players that would provide a lot of value to the Tour, and guys that I love competing against as well.

"So I think going forward there obviously has to be, I think, some sort of penalties. What those are, I'll let Rolapp and all those guys figure it out. We have great leadership within the Tour now.

"But I think having those guys come back and competing with whatever happens with LIV, whether those guys want to leave, I mean, you got to ask them.

"But I think for me being able to compete against the best players in the world there's certainly some guys on that Tour that can compete out here and I look forward to the chance to compete with them more often."

Scottie Scheffler was not a fan of Rory McIlroy's jibs at Bryson DeChambeau at the Open Championship

The best players competing more often is a theme for many about how golf should move forward, and that's what Scheffler expects from the PGA Tour changes coming from 2028 onwards.

"I like the direction that the Tour's heading," he added. "Getting the best players competing against each other more often is I think what everybody wants.

"For us as players, that's what we want. I assume that you guys in the media, that's what you'd want to see. I assume that's what the fans want as well. I assume that's the direction that we're heading.

"Making things a bit simpler in terms of who is going to be at what tournament at what time. Golf has always been a difficult game to rank when you're not playing head-to-head, and so getting the best players playing head-to-head more often than not, in a proper golf tournament, I think is the best way to do things."

Scheffler closing in on Tiger Woods record

Tiger Woods smiles while wearing a white Sun Day Red cap and a red Sun Day Red polo during a TGL match in 2025

After Scheffler's impressive victory at the FedEx St Jude Championship last week, he's now closing in on overhauling Tiger Woods at the top of the PGA Tour's career money list.

Obviously, the huge increase in prize money has had a massive part to play, but it will still be a landmark event as Woods has held the title for over a quarter of a century.

Currently just over $1m behind Woods, a top-two finish at the BMW Championship will put Scheffler in first place but regardless he'll soon be the biggest earner in PGA Tour history.

"I mean, that has a lot to do with the purses and all that. I'm not really too close to him in terms of career wins," said Scheffler, playing down the impending achievement.

"What, am I like a fourth of the way there? Something like that. No, I mean, Tiger did a lot for the game of golf and he put us in a position where we're able to earn some pretty good stuff financially, so that's something we're very grateful for.

"Tiger's contributions to the game, when you look at where the purses were at before he came out on Tour to where they're at now is a pretty stark difference and we're very thankful for his contributions to the game and hopefully we'll see him back out here competing again soon."

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Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.