LIV Golf faces an uncertain future amid funding struggles, as reports that the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund will likely withdraw its financial support for the league following this season as it shifts its priorities and manages the economic fallout from the conflict in Iran.
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil confirmed in a since-deleted video that the league’s funding was not guaranteed past the 2026 season, and that he would “work like crazy as a business to create a business and a business plan” to continue operating into 2027 and beyond.
Amidst the financial uncertainty, it was reported on Monday that a New Orleans event scheduled for June would “likely” be postponed. The uncertainty around LIV raises questions about the future of the golfers on the rogue tour.
According to former ESPN personality Trey Wingo, don’t necessarily expect the 57 golfers to be welcomed on the PGA Tour with open arms.
“I don’t think the PGA Tour cares about 54 or 52 of the 56 LIV golfers or how many there are. They care about two for sure, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau,” Wingo told Awful Announcing’s Brandon Contes during an appearance on The Awful Announcing Podcast.
“I think those are the two that, that they’ll find a way back like they did for (Brooks Koepka), because he’s a five-time major winner,” Wingo continued. “But the rest of them, I think they might say, ‘Congratulations, Taylor Gooch, I’m glad you got your money. You won’t see us again unless you go through the hardest way possible to earn your tour card like everybody else.’
“And I can promise you one person that you’ll never see in any way in an official capacity with the PGA Tour is Phil Mickelson. That bridge has been burned, detonated, destroyed, nuked, lasered to death. There is no building that bridge back.”
Mickelson’s future on the course was already murky, as he has only participated in one LIV event this year and was forced to pull out of the Masters as he works through a personal health matter. Per Wingo, the other 50-odd players on the LIV Tour may have to reckon with a reality where they have to go through an arduous process to reclaim their tour cards.
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