Rory McIlroy: Would Rather 'Retire' than Play LIV Golf

The current world number three was talking amid the revelations that he and Tiger Woods could have been offered LIV team ownership as part of the PGA Tour's proposed merger with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

Documents released by a Senate sub-committee on Tuesday contained details about how the framework deal between the PGA Tour and Saudi-funded LIV Golf came together, including the roles that LIV hoped Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods would fill under the new combined entity.

Documents from the hearing showed that as well as being offered franchises, McIlroy and Woods would play in 10 LIV events had they agreed to sign up. Neither proposal progressed beyond the discussion stage, as is well documented, with McIlroy unshakable in his backing of the PGA and DP World Tour, and active despise of LIV Golf.

"There wasn't a lot of new information in there for me, there was maybe some new information for other people," said McIlroy at the Scottish Open.

"I've almost been too close to it over the last year, so it's nice to be able to distance myself a bit from it.

"If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on earth, I would retire. That's how I feel about it. I would play the majors, but I'd be pretty comfortable."

The Northern Irishman added that players felt "blindsided" when news of the proposed deal broke last month, but says he has not lost trust in PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, despite other high-profile players voicing their strong opinions.

"It's maybe not as serious for me because I sort of knew what was going on, so I wasn't as in the dark as some of the other guys," said McIlroy.

"People felt blindsided by it and I can obviously understand why Jordan and Xander and other guys would feel that way."

"I've read a quote that they [PGA Tour] were negotiating their survival. That's a very fair thing for a business to do.

"I'm just apathetic towards all the noise around it. The thing I've realised, no matter what I do or say, or try to show leadership, I'm going to be just fine.

"I've tried to step up for maybe the guys that didn't have a voice early on, but I think with everything that's transpired over the last few weeks, the players are going to find themselves more and more at the table to try to get whatever it is that they want out of it."