LIV Golf is in tatters. CEO Scott O’Neil has confirmed that the final event of the calendar will not take place - the second cancellation of a troubled season that saw the tour’s Saudi paymasters pulling the plug.
O’Neil has made much of the fact that he has secured sponsorship for 2027 and beyond but next year’s schedule will also be reduced to just 10 tournaments. I don’t pretend to be a legal expert but what I do know is that this is not what the players signed up for. I would imagine that many of them will already have had their lawyers examining the small print.
It has also been widely reported that Jon Rahm, who claimed the overall individual title once again, is still owed somewhere in the region of $200m, which goes a long way towards explaining why the Spaniard is preparing to jump ship and return to the DP World Tour - something he can do after finally paying his outstanding fines.
James Corrigan, a highly-respected golf journalist, reported in The Telegraph that Rahm is ready to walk away, claiming that LIV management are resigned to losing him as the league prepares for life without Saudi backing next year.
(Image Credit: LIV Golf)
LIV Golf revealed that it had landed a landed a major new sponsor at LIV Golf New York earlier this month, where Rahm clinched his third consecutive individual season title.
In the announcement, O’Neil also confirmed that players will become "majority equity holders".
However, he failed to give a straight answer when asked about the future of the league’s two biggest stars, Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau.
He would only say: "We would certainly love them to come along for the ride and journey because they carry maybe more weight than anybody in the game and I have a lot of time for that..We have enough support from enough players, and we have such an interesting format and global format, I think we’ll do quite well in getting the right stars for this game."
Losing either Rahm or DeChambeau would be a massive blow. Losing both would surely be terminal for a tour that sells itself on its star appeal. As good as Joaquin Niemann is (and he is very, very good), he is not a golfer who attracts huge crowds, despite all the LIV titles he has picked up.
If the Spaniard leaves LIV behind, he is expected to turn to the DP World Tour rather than returning to the PGA Tour, where the prize money is far greater but is also where he would have to pay a massive fine.
All this follows news that the DP World Tour has reportedly begun informing LIV golfers that it is prepared to impose more fines and tournament suspensions in 2027.
The rule would give LIV players a fresh headache next year, with several hoping to balance a schedule between the two circuits. Some difficult decisions are going to have to be made - and soon.
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