LIV Golf’s Future in Doubt as Shutdown Rumors Swirl After Masters Debacle

The future of LIV Golf appears to be increasingly uncertain, with the upstart league confronting a wave of speculation that it could be nearing an abrupt end just four years after its launch.LIV Golf is in Mexico City this weekend where it is scheduled to begin its sixth event of the 2026 season, but multiple sources indicate that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund that backs the circuit is reassessing its future amid mounting financial losses and the ongoing wars in the Middle East.According to one report, “A recent board meeting in New York focused on the league’s near-term future, including whether to cease operations following this week’s event in Mexico City or continue through the end of the season.”Rumors of LIV Golf potentially shutting down flooded social media late Tuesday after golf reporter Ryan French posted sources indicating “LIV is shutting down,” after players and employees weren’t paid, though those claims have been disputed.Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia, speaking in Spanish during a pre-tournament press conference Wednesday in Mexico City, said he had not heard any official news about LIV folding. “Sincerely, we haven’t heard anything,” Mr. Garcia said, adding, “There are always rumors, but I can’t say more than what we already know.”There is no indication LIV Mexico City is being canceled. A pro-am was held Wednesday with boxing champion Canelo Alvarez playing alongside former U.S. Open winner Cam Smith.Pairings and starting hole location for Thursday’s opening round at Club de Golf Chapultepec were released early Wednesday. But future LIV events are in question. The next LIV tournament is scheduled for May 7-10 at Trump National Golf Club in Washington D.C. before June tournaments in South Korea and Spain.Tom Hobbs, who runs a LIV-focused social media account, said players have had no issue being paid and assume the remaining events in 2026 will proceed as scheduled. “I’ve spoken directly to multiple people within LIV Golf who all say they have had no issue with being paid,” he posted. “Future venues are proceeding as normal, with no indication that anything will change.”Still, the broader concerns surrounding LIV Golf are not new. Founded in 2021 as an alternative to the PGA Tour, LIV Golf shock up the golf establishment by luring several international golf stars — including Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson and Mr. Garcia — away from the PGA Tour with its big-money guarantees.But, the circuit has struggled to gain credibility in the golf world, due in part to its original 54-hole, team golf format. Starting this year, LIV has moved to 72-hole tournaments. And for the first time, the top 10 finishers in its events will earn points toward their Official World Golf Rankings.Still, the tour has continued to lose money. A report by Money in Sport earlier this year calculated LIV’s operating losses for 2023 at $394 million.In the meantime, the circuit has started losing some of its high-profile stars as the PGA Tour established a process for qualifying golfers to return. Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka announced in January he would be taking advantage of that program and returned to the PGA Tour this season. Shortly afterward, Patrick Reed followed.“When you look at it, the best players in the world and the deepest fields from top to bottom are on the PGA Tour,” Mr. Reed said last week at the Masters, where he finished tied for 12th as did Mr. Koepka “It’s one of those that from top to bottom that’s the place that I feel like is best for us to go and compete against the top guys year in and year out, week in and week out, but at the same time, to be able to spend more time closer to home makes it a lot easier to spend time with the kids.”When LIV Golf first emerged as a legitimate threat there was talk of merging with the PGA Tour. President Trump summoned executives from both leagues to the White House to work out an amicable solution, but no progress has been made and the urgency to do a deal has all but evaporated.New stars like Cam Young, Sam Burns, and Jake Knapp and the soaring popularity of established stars like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have only increased the appeal of the PGA Tour.The final round of the Masters averaged nearly 14 million viewers who saw Mr. McIlroy join Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as the only golfer to win back-to-back Masters. It was the most-watched Masters final since 2015.It also means 14 million viewers watched LIV golfers barely compete. Five of the 10 LIV golfers in the year’s first major championship, including Bryson DeChambeau, missed the cut, and apart from Tyrell Hatton, who finished tied for third, the rest might as well have skipped the weekend.Mr. Johnson, the 2020 Masters Champion before joining LIV, tied for 33rd; Mr. Rahm, who won the 2023 Masters before joining LIV, barely made the cut and finished tied for 38th, Mr. Garcia, who won the Masters in 2017, was 52nd, and 2011 Masters champ Charles Schwartzel was 54th.Their poor performances have reinforced criticism that LIV’s format and limited schedule have dulled the competitive edge of their players.The question is no longer whether the LIV can challenge the PGA Tour, but whether it can survive at all.

LIV Golf’s Future in Doubt as Shutdown Rumors Swirl After Masters Debacle

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