LIV Golf 1.0 ended on Sunday in Indianapolis with an odd scene that perfectly captured the chaos that has enveloped the league since the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund announced it was withdrawing funding from the outfit after the 2026 season. There was Jon Rahm evading questions about his future, Tyrrell Hatton trying to run to the airport and Bryson DeChambeau trying, and failing, to project confidence in LIV 2.0.
Last week, LIV CEO Scott O’Neil told the press he was bullish on where LIV was headed in its new era — one that will involve a shorter schedule, smaller purses and more player control in how the league is run. O’Neil has been trying to steady the ship, including securing an agreement from an outside investor. But with some of LIV’s biggest names reportedly looking to head for the exit, the breakaway league is teetering.
Even if LIV 2.0 does get off the ground, one six-time major champion doesn’t see it lasting long.
“It looks like from the outside, there’s more players trying to leave LIV than trying to go to it now,” Sir Nick Faldo said on Tuesday ahead of the British Masters. “Obviously losing the funding, I don’t honestly know what’s going to happen, but my goodness, the so-called 2.0 is going to be pretty weak if it carries on, so I doubt it. Who knows.”
LIV Golf’s arrival in 2022 fractured the professional golf world. With LIV 1.0 over — and its future in question —Faldo sees the game finally coming back together once all of the contractual issues are sorted and those who defected pay the price for leaving. He believes that’s happening because those who left want to get back to what professional golf was always supposed to be about.
“But it’s good for many of the players. It sounds like [Jon] Rahm and Tyrrell [Hatton] want out and want to come over and come back to playing. Once they sort out how they feed their way back into the Tour, it’s going to strengthen world golf again. That’s probably the most important thing. Guys want to get back. I’ve been around 50 years now. I played my first Open 50 years ago; first Ryder Cup 50 years ago next year. What are the five biggest tournaments in the world? Four majors and the Ryder Cup, isn’t it, what we deem proper golf, classic golf.
“And we have many great events on the European Tour, American tour — and it’s still just 72 holes [with] great atmosphere, great golf course, that’s it. If you get that, that’s why we love golf, isn’t it? If you find that boring, well, fine, you’re never going to get it. But we all know thoset are the best events, aren’t they, and that’s how golf is played.
‘So that’s my real bottom line on it. They went off on gimmicks, trying to ‘supercharge’ the excitement of golf. Well, golf is golf. Look how the best events — the Irish Opens, [we had] the World Match Play, Jack’s tournament and Arnold’s. They have all stood the test of time. It’s just proper golf. So it sounds like that’s what the guys want to come back and play.”
As LIV Golf tries to sort out what, if anything, comes next, the PGA Tour announced a reimagined postseason on Tuesday that will begin in 2028.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp was once again asked how the PGA Tour would reintegrate LIV players should some want to return. Rolapp noted that the Returning Member Program, which brought Brooks Koepka back in January, remains a one-time offer that has expired. Rolapp was noncommittal about the possibility of LIV players returning in 2027 without facing a year-long suspension. Rolapp did, however, make it clear to both the PGA Tour membership and those looking to return from LIV that actions have to have consequences. There will not be a free pass back.
“The Tour is a membership organization. It has rules,” Rolapp said. “Rules matter. Rules only matter if they’re enforced. So accountability and discipline are essential to any organization, and certainly for the integrity of the Tour and for the game. … Those are guiding principles for us. Rules matter.”
O’Neil said he was confident that LIV Golf would be able to retain a “critical mass” of important players to get LIV 2.0 off the ground. He did not give a specific deadline for players to commit to LIV 2.0, but noted that everything has to be in order soon. As for the players he’s hoping to keep in the fold, Hatton is in the field at this week’s British Masters and said he has “multiple years left” on his LIV contract and expects it to continue in 2027.
“I would expect there to be LIV next season,” Hatton said on Wednesday. “I know they’ve worked really hard to get the funding and stuff in place, so I know it’s full steam ahead on that front.”
Who will be on board as that ship departs? That remains the biggest question for LIV 2.0.
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