'Tough road back' to PGA Tour from LIV - McIlroy

Rory McIlroy feels it could be a "tough road back" to the PGA Tour for those currently with LIV Golf.After Saudi Arabia confirmed it was withdrawing financial backing to the breakaway league in April, uncertainty surrounding its future has increased with next week's Team Championship cancelled.That has left this week's event in Indianapolis as LIV's season finale.In January, five-time Major winner Brooks Koepka rejoined the PGA Tour under a deal that saw him forfeit any player equity shares for the next five years, while he is also ineligible for the $100m (£73.4m) FedEx Cup bonus scheme this year and had to make a $5m (£3.6m) donation to charity.McIlroy, who questioned whether those who play on the rival tour have "brought value to LIV", predicted it may be a tougher route back to the PGA Tour for others such as Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm should they wish to end their involvement with LIV."I'm not part of the discussions but I'm pretty sure they aren't going to be welcomed back straight away," said the Northern Irishman before the start of this week's BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St Louis."They were offered this returning member programme back in February, the one Brooks [Koepka] took, but that has come and gone and I think it was said at the time that the deal they get going forward if they decide to come back would not be as good at the one Brooks got. So I'd say it will be a tough road back."McIlroy shot eight-over par to finish 66th overall at last week's FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis and felt "progress from where I was last week would be a win for me" as he prepared for the BMW Championship.World number one Scottie Scheffler was in much better form with a runaway win, which brought his career earnings to $119,964,411 (£88,187) - just behind record holder Tiger Woods on $120,999,166 (£88,950).However, the 30-year-old American is refusing to equate financial rewards with his overall standing in relation to 15-time Major champion Woods, insisting that "has a lot to do with the purses" and "I'm not really too close to him in terms of career wins".Scheffler's win in St Louis was his 21st on the PGA Tour, while Woods - who has been sidelined by injuries and operations since missing the cut at The Open in July 2024 - has triumphed on 82 occasions."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," Scheffler said."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."What, am I like a fourth of the way there? Something like that."