Billy Horschel says whether compensation should be paid if LIV Golf players return to the PGA Tour

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Several LIV Golf players have joined Billy Horschel and Rory McIlroy at this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

In total, 14 LIV Golf players will tee it up on three of Scotland’s iconic links: Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and the Old Course at St Andrews.

Furthermore, Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan are taking part in the pro-am. Horschel will play alongside the PIF chief during the first round at Carnoustie.

Merger talk will no doubt emerge this week, and Horschel has been asked whether PGA Tour players should be compensated if LIV Golf stars one day return to golf’s traditional circuit.

Billy Horschel asked about LIV Golf stars returning to PGA Tour

• READ MORE: A LIV Golf caddie has shared his honest thoughts on Harry Diamond after Rory McIlroy’s near misses this season

Speaking during his press conference on Wednesday, Horschel claimed that PGA Tour players shouldn’t be compensated.

Horschel explained: “No, I don’t. Listen, as the PGA TOUR did this deal with SSG and X amount of players got equity in the tour, my wife said one thing to me.

“She said if you don’t expect to get any equity, your life is not going to change. You’re still going to be happy, still going to go on, still going to play golf, and still going to enjoy everything you have. And if you get some portion of equity, then it’s golden. It’s over the moon; it’s icing on the cake.”

Horschel continued: “I don’t believe there should — you know, listen, we’ve got our equity on the PGA TOUR side, the players. But listen, those guys made a decision to go to LIV.

“As I said, I don’t fault them for the financial decision that they made, and I don’t believe that guys on the PGA TOUR who didn’t go should if PIF comes in, be paid even more money because they didn’t take that opportunity or weren’t offered that opportunity.”

Rory McIlroy says PGA Tour equity is ‘never’ enough

Four-time major winner McIlroy shared a very different view before the Zurich Classic of New Orleans earlier in the season.

“I think the one thing we’ve learned in golf over the last two years is there’s never enough,” McIlroy said.

A report from The Telegraph in April revealed that McIlroy and Tiger Woods were among those set to receive equity payouts from the PGA Tour for turning down huge LIV Golf offers.

McIlroy is now open to LIV players returning, but it remains to be seen whether further payouts will be made if a merger does occur.