Rory McIlroy, one of golf's most influential voices, has shifted his stance on LIV Golf players returning to the PGA Tour. Speaking Friday after his second round at the Truist Championship in Charlotte, N.C., the world No. 2 said he's no longer opposed to the idea—but he's not convinced the players themselves want to come back.

"It's a question of if they do want to come back," McIlroy said, adding that the answer likely hinges on LIV's financial future. Last month, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund pulled its funding for the rival league, which had lured stars like Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau with massive, guaranteed contracts. That move has thrown LIV's stability into question, sparking fresh debate about whether defectors should be allowed to return to the PGA Tour—and under what conditions.

The PGA Tour recently offered a temporary path back for some LIV players, and five-time major champion Brooks Koepka took advantage. But others, including Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, remain under contract with LIV beyond this season. Interestingly, Rahm recently resolved his dispute with the DP World Tour, potentially opening a door for him to compete on European soil in 2027 and beyond.

McIlroy, who has been a vocal critic of LIV in the past, now seems open to reconciliation if it strengthens the game. "If it is a scenario where they have the option to come back and play on the traditional tours, I think Brian Rolapp has said anything that makes this tour stronger, anything that makes the DP World Tour stronger, I think everyone should be open to that," he said. "That's just good business practice."

Still, McIlroy remains skeptical about LIV's ability to sustain itself. "They're going to go and try and find alternative investment, whatever that may look like," he noted. "But when one of the wealthiest sovereign wealth funds in the world thinks that you're too expensive for them, that sort of says something."

For now, McIlroy—along with the rest of the golf world—is in wait-and-see mode. But as the landscape shifts, one thing is clear: the door may be opening, but it's up to the players to walk through it.