LIV Golf's future is hanging by a thread after the Saudi Public Investment Fund pulled its financial backing, leaving players and fans wondering what comes next. CEO Scott O'Neil is scrambling to find alternative funding for 2027 and beyond, but with the tour bleeding money and the LIV Louisiana event postponed, the writing might be on the wall.

For big names like Bryson DeChambeau, a return to the PGA Tour seems less like a question and more like a matter of timing. Their star power would be a welcome boost to the tour. But for others, the path forward is far murkier—especially for one of golf's most polarizing figures.

Phil Mickelson, now 55, has burned nearly every bridge he had with the PGA Tour since helping launch LIV Golf. He openly recruited fellow players while still a PGA Tour member, attended Tour events to poach talent, and played a key role in the lawsuit against the organization. Those aren't the kind of moves that get forgotten quickly.

Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee weighed in on the situation, painting a grim picture for Mickelson's potential return. "Perhaps he will have a road back there," Chamblee said. "It would be expensive and tedious, I would imagine. He openly recruited PGA Tour players to go to LIV while he was a PGA Tour player. He went to Tour events to recruit players... and was a big part of the lawsuit. By the way, Bryson DeChambeau was sitting on that lawsuit all the way until it was dissolved. These are not things people are going to easily forget about."

Mickelson has only played once on LIV this season and missed The Masters due to a family health issue, so he's in no rush to return to the PGA Tour. But even if he wanted to, a comeback seems nearly impossible without a serious acknowledgment of wrongdoing. You can't actively work to undermine a tour and then expect a warm welcome back.

For now, Mickelson's future remains one of golf's biggest question marks. Whether LIV survives or folds, his legacy—and his next move—will be anything but simple.