Rory McIlroy says the addition of Bryson DeChambeau to the DP World Tour next season would bring more "eyeballs" to the tour but feels the American is running out of options.
DeChambeau's competitive future is uncertain following the collapse of LIV Golf, with the two-time US Open champion last week saying he will approach his next move with "humility and respect".
The 33-year-old American can apply for DP World Tour membership based on his status as a recent major champion, which would offer him the chance to earn back his PGA Tour card for 2028.
"I think a name like Bryson DeChambeau and everything he brings with him, good and bad, he brings eyeballs, which is a good thing for tournaments," said McIlroy, who was pipped to the 2024 US Open in dramatic fashion by DeChambeau.
"Honestly, I'm certainly not in his shoes, and nor would I ever want to be but it doesn't seem like he's got many options.
"You know, if he wants to play competitive golf, it doesn't seem like he's got many options."
Northern Ireland's McIlroy was speaking to reporters in Dubai before the DP World Tour Championship as he chases a record-equalling eighth season-long title.
The six-time major winner trails Spain's Eugenio Chacarra by 533 points in the Race to Dubai standings going into the final event in Dubai, which offers 2,000 points to the winner.
Nine players - Chacarra, McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Casey Jarvis, Aaron Rai, Jon Rahm, Ryan Fox, Jayden Schaper and Daniel Hillier - can still clinch the Race to Dubai title, but McIlroy would guarantee his fifth straight crown with victory at Jumeirah Golf Estates this week.
McIlroy's excellent record at the Dubai tournament includes three wins and a play-off defeat by England's Matt Fitzpatrick last year.
"I'm very excited to be back here, very excited to be in contention for the eighth," said the 37-year-old.
"I made some ground up last week, maybe not as much as I wanted, but I felt like it was a step in the right direction.
"Getting back to a place where I played, I played well and I had a lot of success, even last year in the play-off with Matt, it's been a course that's been very good to me over the years, and I have a lot of experience on it and a lot of experience up at the top end of the leaderboard."
An eighth Race to Dubai title would draw McIlroy alongside Colin Montgomerie, who won seven straight European Tour Order of Merit titles in the 1990s before adding an eighth in 2005.
With McIlroy chasing a fifth successive Race to Dubai title, he spoke about how proud he is of the "consistency" and "longevity" he has shown in his career.
"I think this will be the 15th or 16th year in a row that I will have finished the year in the top 10 in the world rankings," said the world number two.
"There may be a couple others that have done that before. Yeah, I'm very proud of that. I think that's maybe an underrated part of careers, is that longevity piece.
"I was very lucky to start so young and get my tour card at 18, and I've stayed pretty much injury-free throughout my career.
"And I've kept working and trying to get better at certain aspects of the game and always tried to see weaknesses or be critical of myself and try to get better at them."