LIV Golf players are expected to be told that the Saudi Public Investment Fund will pull funding at the end of 2026.
The tour will look to secure alternate funding for next season and beyond, but with the significant losses that LIV has been operating at in previous seasons, that’s going to be a tall task.
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Meanwhile, LIV Louisiana is set to be postponed until the tour can find a new source of funding, leaving a near-two-month gap between LIV events in the middle of major season.
With so much uncertainty in the air, a number of players are eyeing the exit door.
Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images
LIV Golf players could seek return to PGA Tour and DP World Tour
If LIV were to fold, there would be a mass exodus back to the PGA Tour by players. Bryson DeChambeau has already been spotted speaking to PGA Tour officials about his options at The Masters, and he won’t be the only one.
Two big-name players, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, have already jumped ship. Koepka agreed to a deal with the PGA Tour to return this year. Meanwhile, Reed is spending a season on the DP World Tour while serving his one-year suspension.
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According to a report from Monday Q, who broke the news of PIF pulling funding two weeks ago, a “top LIV player” believes 15-20 players may be able to return via the PGA or DP World Tour.
This source was unnamed, and the players who would be granted a return are still unknown. But looking at the LIV Golf roster it isn’t difficult to predict which named CEO Brian Rolapp would welcome back.
The players who are likely to return to the PGA Tour if LIV folds
If there are indeed 15-20 players who would be welcomed back to the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, looking at the roster, you get a pretty clear idea of who those names are.
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Firstly, those who would be allowed straight back to the PGA Tour. Only the biggest names would be allowed straight back under an altered returning-member program like the one Koepka received.
Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, if they are willing to accept the deal, would surely be allowed straight back. Their names carry such weight in the golfing world that the tour would immediately benefit from their presence.
Depending on how welcoming Rolapp felt, maybe Tyrrell Hatton, Cameron Smith, and Joaquín Niemann would work out a deal as B-listers on the LIV tour. Alternatively, they could follow Reed’s path and spend a year on the DP World Tour before returning.
There are no other names that are likely to be allowed back on the PGA Tour, but the DP World Tour would likely welcome the likes of Tom McKibbin and Josele Ballester. Any young international player who could increase the talent level of the tour.
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That would be an easy enough decision for the DP World Tour, but deciding the future of the old guard gets more difficult. What to do with the likes of Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood?
If 15-20 players are expected to return, you would imagine they would be part of that. The biggest question is, can they hash out their differences and agree to a deal? If they have any chance of being involved in the Ryder Cup again, they will have to swallow their pride.
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