LIV Golf’s long-term future is uncertain after Saudi investors announced their intentions to stop supporting the tour financially at the end of the 2026 season.
A number of players, including multiple Major winners, may look for a way out if new investment is not found, but one major LIV player is unlikely to ever make amends with the PGA Tour, after irreparable damage was caused to the relationship.
LIV Golf Faces Uncertain Future
Having changed their slogan to “Long LIV Golf” last year, the future of the rebel tour is already uncertain, as they search for new investment. With the Saudi Arabia PIF withdrawing their funding at the end of the current season, LIV are scrambling to find new investors or risk losing what remains of their star-studded cast.
Earlier this year, they lost five-time Major winner Brooks Koepka to the PGA Tour and Masters winner Patrick Reed, who must play on the European Tour before he becomes eligible for reinstatement to the PGA.
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Having instated the Returning Member Programme, the route back to the PGA for some of LIV’s roster is possible, with Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Cameron Smith all meeting the criteria.
The likes of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, however, do not meet the criteria, with their Major triumphs coming earlier than the three-year cutoff.
However, regardless of specific criteria, former ESPN host Trey Wingo has claimed a return for Mickelson was never on the cards.
Phil Mickelson’s Relationship With PGA Tour Over
He told Awful Announcing: “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.”
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Mickelson was one of the big-name departures which gained LIV momentum and the nature of his departure caused a stir, after he labelled the PGA Tour as manipulative and coercive, filing an antitrust lawsuit after he and other defectors to LIV were suspended from competing.
Following the withdrawal from the Saudi PIF, Mickelson will likely have no choice but to drown with the sinking ship or retire, as the PGA are unlikely to create exemptions for a key contributor to LIV’s growth that is now some way past his prime.
Phil Mickelson Battling Personal Problems
The news comes at a difficult time for Mickelson, who in early April shared that he is taking a break from golf due to a private family health issue.
He wrote on X: “Unfortunately, I will not play in the Masters Tournament next week and will be out for an extended period of time as my family continues to navigate a personal health matter.
“I have great respect for Augusta National Golf Club, and it is definitely the most special week of the year. I wish everyone the best of luck and will be watching.”
Tour executives convened for an emergency meeting in New York earlier this month, and LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil has emphasised they will continue as normal.
In an email to staff, he said: “I want to be crystal clear. Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.”
The noisy breakaway tour has always been full throttle, bursting onto the scene as mavericks with their team golf and festival-style events. But although the experiment has steadily grown, it has nowhere near challenged the PGA Tour in terms of popularity, and without the bottomless supply of investment, they face a tough challenge to stay afloat.