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Earlier this week, four-time major champion Rory McIlroy admitted he had “changed his tune”<\/a> on LIV Golf and no longer thinks players should be punished if they return to the PGA Tour.<\/p>\n LIV players are currently banned from playing on the Tour, and with LIV tournaments not receiving world ranking points, fewer players on the Saudi-backed series are qualifying for the majors.<\/p>\n Spain’s former world number one Jon Rahm, who is among the players who will make their LIV debut in Mexico, says McIlroy’s change of heart marks an “important statement for change”.<\/p>\n The reigning Masters champion said: “I haven’t spoken to [McIlroy] a lot recently, but he might have had a change in thought process, as in maybe with some of the things he said in the past.<\/p>\n “I think he might be seeing that the landscape of golf is changing and at some point, you need to evolve.<\/p>\n “It’s nice to have the support from a player the calibre of Rory, especially those Ryder Cup remarks he made early on. I think that’s an important statement for change to be said.”<\/p>\n Rahm’s new Legion XIII team-mate Tyrrell Hatton, who joined LIV earlier this week<\/a>, added: “I’ve spoken to Rory a bit in the past week and back in December. It’s not a surprise to hear him say [positive things] in the media.<\/p>\n “Ultimately, I would like to still be able to play events on the other two tours. But we’ll see how all that works out.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n