LIV Golf has officially canceled its season-ending team championship in Michigan scheduled for Aug. 27-30, perhaps the latest sign that the struggling golf league could soon end operations altogether.
LIV Golf confirmed on Monday, Aug. 17 that the LIV Golf Indianapolis event slated to begin on Thursday, Aug. 20 will mark the end of its 2026 season after weeks of speculation that its team championship event in Michigan would be called off amidst funding issues.
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Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which has reportedly spent more than $5 billion founding and operating LIV Golf, announced in April that it would not continue funding the tour following the 2026 season as part of a strategic shift, leaving LIV officials to find an alternative source of funding.
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What happened to LIV Golf Michigan event?
But the LIV Golf season went on and it was still selling tickets to the team championship event as recently as Aug. 12, according to Golfweek. By the afternoon of Thursday Aug. 13, however, fans visiting the league’s website were greeted with a terse message: “The tickets you were looking for are no longer available.” No additional information was provided, including whether ticket holders would receive refunds.
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No tournament infrastructure was erected at The Cardinal at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan, which welcomed tens of thousands of spectators for LIV Golf’s 2025 Team Championship. The Telegraph reported on Aug. 12 that LIV Golf players had already been informed the team championship event had been called off.
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
LIV Golf remains in the headlines as executives meet amid ongoing conversations about the future of the sport.
See the LIV golfers who continue to draw attention through both current competition and their place in the broader discussion.
Above, Byeong Hun An in action during the first round of play at LIV Golf Riyadh at the Riyadh Golf Club.
(Hamad I Mohammed, Imagn Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
LIV Golf remains in the headlines as executives meet amid ongoing conversations about the future of the sport.
See the LIV golfers who continue to draw attention through both current competition and their place in the broader discussion.
Above, Byeong Hun An in action during the first round of play at LIV Golf Riyadh at the Riyadh Golf Club.
(Hamad I Mohammed, Imagn Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Paul Casey of Crushers GC chips onto the first green during the finals of the LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship at The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort.
(Aaron Doster, Imagn Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Bryson DeChambeau celebrates after winning in a playoff against Byeong-Hun An of South Korea during the final round of The Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 3, 2018, in Dublin, Ohio.
(Sam Greenwood, Getty Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Sergio Garcia plays his shot on the seventeenth hole from the eighth hole during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
(Bill Streicher, Imagn Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Tyrrell Hatton tees off on the first hole during the third round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
(Michael Madrid, Imagn Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Charles Howell III, Bryson DeChambeau and Paul Casey of the Crushers GC celebrate the Dallas LIV team championship during the final round of the LIV Golf Dallas golf tournament at Maridoe Golf Club.
(Raymond Carlin III, Imagn Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Dustin Johnson lines up a putt on the 17th green during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
(Michael Madrid, Imagn Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Martin Kaymer of team Cleeks Golf Club hits a tee shot on the fourth hole during the final round of the LIV Golf Virginia golf tournament at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
(Geoff Burke, Imagn Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Anthony Kim hits from the second tee during the final round of the LIV Golf Black Diamond Ranch golf tournament at Black Diamond Ranch.
(Jeff Swinger, Imagn Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Phil Mickelson of HyFlyers GC reacts to a putt at the 12th green on day one of LIV Golf Virginia at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on June 06, 2025, in Gainesville, Virginia.
(Alex Goodlett, Getty Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Joaquin Niemann of Torque GC celebrates after winning day three of LIV Golf Virginia at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on June 08, 2025, in Gainesville, Virginia.
(Alex Goodlett, Getty Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Louis Oosthuizen of Stinger GC tees off at the ninth hole on day two of LIV Golf Virginia at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on June 07, 2025, in Gainesville, Virginia.
(Alex Goodlett, Getty Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
British golfer Ian Poulter of Majesticks GC plays his shot from the second tee during the quarterfinals of the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Miami at Trump National Doral Miami golf club in Miami, Florida, on October 28, 2022.
(Giorgio Viera, Getty Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Jon Rahm of Legion XIII poses with the LIV golf season individual trophy on day three of LIV Golf Indianapolis at The Club at Chatham Hills on August 17, 2025, in Westfield, Indiana.
(Justin Casterline, Getty Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
South African golfer Charl Schwartzel celebrates with the trophy after winning the LIV Golf Invitational London at The Centurion Club on June 11, 2022. The $25 million event marked the launch of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series, the richest tournament purse in golf history at the time.
(Adrian Dennis, Getty Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Australia’s Cameron Smith of Ripper GC plays a shot at the 5th tee during the first round of the LIV Golf Korea at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon on May 2, 2025.
(Jung Yeon-Je, AFP via Getty Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
USA’s Bubba Watson watches his shot during the second day of the LIV Golf Adelaide at the Grange Golf Club in Adelaide on February 15, 2025.
(Brenton Edwards, AFP via Getty Images)
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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league
Lee Westwood of Majesticks GC reacts to a putt on the 18th hole during day three of the LIV Golf Invitational – Orlando at The Orange County National on April 02, 2023, in Orlando, Florida.
(Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images)
A memo for LIV Golf’s Indianapolis event released Monday, Aug. 17 made that official by announcing, “the four-day stroke play event will take place Aug. 20-23, at The Club at Chatham Hills, where 57 players will contend for the Indianapolis individual title and final spots in the League’s individual season-long standings. The team competition will count the scores of all four players on each team every day, culminating with one of the 13 teams being crowned the 2026 LIV Golf Team Champion.”
‘Time might run out’ on LIV Golf
LIV Golf CEO Scot O’Neil told reporters earlier this month that the tour had secured an agreement with an unnamed new lead investor, in addition to crafting a new organizational structure that will make the tour’s players “majority equity holders” moving forward. The 2027 LIV schedule will feature just 10 events, instead of 14, with five taking place in the U.S. and five at international sites.
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But rumors of LIV Golf’s impending demise have continued in recent weeks, with prominent LIV Golf member Ian Poulter recently noting in an interview that “time might run out.”
“There is a hard deadline I think of September 1st … to find $300 million,” Poulter said on GOLF LIFE on YouTube. “That is not a lot of time considering people and contracts have got to be signed.”
Can LIV Golf players return to the PGA Tour?
Yes, but the circumstances and initial status awarded by the PGA Tour will depend on the golfer and on what terms they left the PGA Tour.
Brian Rolapp, the PGA Tour’s new CEO, indicated in his most recent public comments he was open to allowing more golfers who defected to LIV Golf to return to the PGA Tour if it made the PGA Tour stronger. But Rolapp emphasized it was not one of the PGA Tour’s priorities as it eyes a revamped schedule beginning next year.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LIV Golf cancels Michigan team championship amid fears tour could fold
