Rory McIlroy calls on LIV Golf to re-evaluate team event format: "More head-to-head"

Rory McIlroy recently called on LIV Golf to re-evaluate their team event format to make it more intriguing for the participants and the spectators. He suggested LIV make their contests more similar to their Team Championship format.

The team aspect was one of the biggest differentiating factors between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. Currently, the breakaway league has 13 teams of four members each. All the golfers, including wildcards, will play the 54 holes in three-day tournaments this year. The team with the lowest total score wins the title.

However, in the season-ending Team Championship, teams go against each other depending on their seeding. The higher-ranked teams select their opponents from the lower-ranked teams. The leaderboard toppers will get a bye in the initial rounds.

Rory McIlroy believes the Team Championship will get "people going" more than their regular events. He spoke on the matter ahead of the Genesis Invitational.

"Look, I always felt like LIV’s best chance was to try to replicate their team championship for the teams to go head to head together instead of they all just go out and play and they add their scores up at the end of the day," said McIlroy (via TalkSport)

He further added:

"I don’t think that gets people going. But I think when the teams go head to head like they do in their team championship in wherever, Dallas or whenever it was last year, I think that has a possibility of working," he added.

McIlroy was staunchly against LIV Golf after its inception in 2022. However, over the years he has softened his stance on the league. Currently, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are engrossed in negotiations for a peace deal.

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'I think that makes for a more compelling product' - Rory McIlroy emphasizes head-to-head battles as the way forward

Rory McIlroy at the Genesis Invitational 2025 (Source: Getty)

Rory McIlroy gave his suggestions on the modifications LIV Golf could bring into their format which could increase interest in their events. He talked about it before the Genesis Invitational this week.

"Instead of that maybe being once a year and then these stroke play events, could you reduce the stroke play events and do more of that a few times a year," McIlroy was quoted as saying by TalkSport.

The World No. 3 further added what could be a "more compelling product" in his eyes and for the fans.

"I think that is a way — because especially if these guys are going to come back and play, I don’t want to say real, they play real golf but more like championship individual golf, then is there more of an opportunity for these teams to go more head to head because I think that makes for a more compelling product, at least in my eyes. I’m just one person,"

At the moment, McIlroy is competing at the Tiger Woods-hosted Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines. At the time of writing, he was placed T8 in the ongoing Round 2 on Friday.