The PGA Tour and LIV Golf are still at loggerheads nearly four years after the latter’s inception.
During that time, the PGA Tour has gone from strength to strength, while LIV Golf has simply failed as a product.
Advertisement
As a result, the fledgling golf league faces a very uncertain future.
Rumors started to swirl last week about LIV Golf‘s long-term viability and the PGA Tour hierarchy must have been relishing the uncertainty faced by their rivals.
The likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm face the prospect of not having a tour to play on next season.
Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images
LIV Golf was plunged into ‘total anarchy’ last week, when it was claimed that Saudi Arabia’s PIF could cut their financial support of the league at the end of the 2026 season.
However, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil rejected those claims, suggesting that the league is in a very strong position.
Advertisement
With all of the rumors swirling, the PGA Tour have seemingly missed a real opportunity to create a huge storyline this week.
PGA Tour missed Zurich Classic trick with Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau
Rahm and DeChambeau are the two biggest stars on LIV Golf, by quite some margin as well.
It’s fair to say that both players hold box-office status in the professional game, especially the American.
And it’s fair to argue the point that a seriously big marketing opportunity has just been missed by the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour should have made a one-time offer to LIV golfers Rahm and DeChambeau to play as a team in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images
Firstly, it is unclear as to whether DeChambeau and Rahm would have accepted the offer.
Advertisement
Secondly, I don’t know whether their LIV Golf contracts would have allowed them to play in a PGA Tour event.
However, I truly believe it would have been a win-win situation for all parties involved.
PGA Tour, LIV Golf, DeChambeau and Rahm would all have been winners
The PGA Tour would have drawn in huge revenue by having DeChambeau and Rahm play this week in New Orleans.
It also would have been a great chance for the LIV duo to prove that they can dominate on the PGA Tour, with the added bonus of a two-year exemption available for the winners!
Meanwhile, LIV Golf would surely jump at the chance to showcase their best pairing in front of a primetime US television audience.
Advertisement
LIV would surely have been due a percentage of the revenue created by the Rahm and DeChambeau pairing at the Zurich Classic, due to the fact that they hold significant marketing and image rights for both players.
It really does seem like a huge opportunity has been missed here.
The PGA Tour should have made the one-time offer to LIV Golf, allowing them to put forward DeChambeau and Rahm as a pairing at the Zurich Classic.
The Zurich Classic was the fifth least watched PGA Tour tournament in 2025 (Sports Business Journal).
There would have been a lot more eyeballs on the tournament this week, and it’s such a shame that DeChambeau and Rahm were not handed the opportunity to play in New Orleans.
Read the full article here
