LIV Golf shutting down? What we know as tour's future hangs in balance

The heavyweight battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf might be nearing the end.

Officials from the breakaway tour have been summoned to an emergency meeting in New York, according to a report in The Telegraph, amid speculation fueled by social media Tuesday night that the circuit could be on the verge of shutting down operations.

Questions about the future of the Saudi-backed golf circuit resurfaced after a post on social media said "a bombshell announcement" was imminent. The Monday Q Info account on X, which is run by golf insider Ryan French, cited multiple unnamed sources.

French also went on an X live stream later in the evening on April 14 to elaborate.

"I think everybody should probably stay near their phones. … It's happening. It's definitely happening," French said on "The Takesman."

In 2023, the Saudi Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour announced a framework agreement. However, negotiations stalled shortly afterward and no further progress has been announced on a potential merger.

There have also been rumors more recently of LIV merging with the DP World Tour, but sources adamantly denied to The Telegraph that was the subject of this week's emergency meeting.

Telegraph Sport reported that no LIV Golf executives were on site at Mexico City's Club de Golf Chapultepec because they were attending what was described as "an emergency summit" in Manhattan. 

Meanwhile, LIV Golf's event this week in Mexico City canceled its pre-tournament news conference on Tuesday, just hours before it was scheduled to begin.

Officials said it was due to "technical issues" and the interviews took place a day later.

Tee times were just released for Thursday's first round of the LIV Golf Mexico tournament, though Golf Channel's Rich Lerner reports players are still unsure if they'll be taking the course.

LIV Golf CEO says 2026 season will go on 'as planned'

LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil, in a Wednesday email to LIV Golf staff, said that the tour's 2026 season will continue "exactly as planned."

ESPN obtained the email from O'Neil. It says, in part:

"I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle. While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the grass. We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organization that is bigger, louder, and more influential than ever before."

"The life of a startup movement is often defined by these moments of pressure," O'Neil added, per ESPN. "We signed up for this because we believe in disrupting the status quo. We have faced headwinds since the jump, and we've answered every time with resilience and grace. Now, we answer by doing what we do best: putting on the most compelling show in sports."

O'Neil did not commit to anything beyond the 2026 in his email.

Fox News reports LIV Golf will lose funding

Fox News' Bret Baier reported Wednesday that the "Saudis will fund LIV Golf events through the end of this season," but added that "the Saudis' funding will definitely come to an end at the end of this LIV season, citing a change of priorities."

LIV Golf not mentioned in Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund press release

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is on the verge of pulling its funding for LIV Golf, according to multiple reports, and a press release from a PIF board of directors meeting held on Tuesday, April 15 did nothing to refute the speculation.

There was no mention of LIV Golf in the Public Investment Fund's enhanced 2026-2030 strategy, which "will focus on delivering competitive domestic ecosystems to connect sectors, unlock the full potential of strategic assets, maximize long-term returns, and continue to drive the economic transformation of Saudi Arabia and further enhance the quality of life of its citizens," according to the press release.

Which golfers have left LIV this year?

In 2026, both Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed left LIV Golf to return to the PGA Tour. Other golfers to have left LIV prior to 2026 include Yubin Jang, Kevin Na, Henrik Stenson, Jinchiro Kozuma, Matt Jones, Mito Pereira, and Andy Ogletree among others.

Their reasons for leaving vary between golfers, with some being forced out of LIV Golf due to relegation while others, like Koepka and Reed left to focus on other matters. Koepka claimed he wanted to spend more time at home with his family, while Reed claimed he wanted to focus on the DP World Tour until he was eligible to return to the PGA Tour.

Max Homa, Wyndham Clark give thoughts on LIV rumors

Homa and Clark are both preparing for the RBC Heritage event this weekend. When asked their thoughts on the LIV Golf rumors and whether or not LIV golfers should be allowed to return to the PGA Tour, Homa told Golfweek, "Everyone deserves a place to play golf so it would be ridiculous to not allow them a place to play."

Clark seemed a little more stringent with his response, telling Golfweek, "If you still technically have status you can play and if not you should have to earn your way back. It will be interesting to see what they do. I hope there is at least something they do because a lot of guys had a chance to go and didn’t."

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp reacts to LIV Golf rumors

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp did an interview with former ESPN anchor Trey Wingo on Tuesday in which he was asked about the speculation regarding LIV Golf's future. Rolapp acknowledged he was finding out details about LIV's potential demise through the same media reports as everyone else and didn't stray from his comments in March in regards to LIV Golf members wanting to rejoin the PGA Tour

“I’ve always said on this subject that I’m interested in whatever makes the PGA Tour better. The fans want the best players playing together," Rolapp said. "Having said that, I don’t know what the circumstances are. Once there’s clarity, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But we’re clearly not there.”

Sergio Garcia comments on LIV Golf rumors

At Wednesday's pre-tournament press conference in Mexico City, Sergio Garcia was asked if he had any inside information.

"We haven't heard anything," Garcia said, "from what Yasir [Al-Rumayyan] told us at the start of the year ... he's behind us with a long-term project.

"There are always rumors, but I can't say more than what we already know."

Al-Rumayyan runs the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) which finances LIV Golf.

− Todd Kelly, Golfweek

Jacob Bridgeman: Koepka's return 'great for our Tour'

If there's doubt the PGA Tour would welcome back more former LIV members if the circuit should disband, it's not coming from PGA Tour rookie Jacob Bridgeman.

"I haven't heard really much about it. Look, Brooks was welcomed back, and it's been great for our Tour," Bridgeman said Wednesday before the start of the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

LIV GOLF REACTION: PGA Tour players respond to latest LIV news

"Any more eyeballs we can get, I think it's great, and Brooks has been playing some great golf. He's earned it; he's a major champion I think five times."

Koepka finished this year's Masters in a tie for 12th place at 5 under par. Tyrell Hatton, who tied for third, was the top LIV finisher at Augusta.

"Yeah, if they're able to come back and promote our Tour, then great, and if they're not, then it's not really going to change my day-to-day," said Bridgeman, who finished at 2 over and tied for 41st in his first Masters.

How much has Saudia Arabia's PIF invested in LIV Golf?

As of early 2026, the Saudi Public Investment Fund's total investment in LIV Golf had reached $5.3 billion, following a $266.6 million capital injection approved by Governor Yasir Al Rumayyan on Feb. 1.

In 2024 and 2025, net spending by LIV Golf averaged $100 million per month. Based on that monthly burn rate, PIF can expect to invest $1.2 billion, bringing its cumulative investment in LIV Golf to in excess of $6 billion by the end of this year.

The increase in the LIV prize fund in 2026 has added $65 million to the tour’s cost base. 

− Adam Schupak, Golfweek

LIV Golf roster

A total of 58 golfers − 13 different 4-man teams, plus six wild cards − are listed on the LIV Golf website's Teams & Players page. Among the notable names:

• Byeong Hun An, South Korea
• Paul Casey, England
• Bryson DeChambeau, USA
• Sergio Garcia, Spain
• Tyrrell Hatton, England
• Charles Howell III, USA
• Dustin Johnson, USA
• Martin Kaymer, Germany
• Anthony Kim, USA
• Phil Mickelson, USA
• Joaquin Niemann, Chile
• Louis Oosthuisen, South Africa
• Ian Poulter, England
• Jon Rahm, Spain
• Charl Schwartzel, South Africa
• Cameron Smith, Australia
• Bubba Watson, USA
• Lee Westwood, England

LIV GOLF WINNERS LIST: Full breakdown of LIV tournament champions from 2022-26

LIV GOLF'S TOP EARNERS: Top 10 LIV Golf career money list

LIV Golf history

Backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf was founded in 2021 as an alternative to the PGA Tour.

Since its first season in 2022, LIV has lured several international golf stars – including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia – away from the PGA Tour with its big-money guarantees.

However, the circuit has struggled to gain credibility in the golf world, due in part to its original 54-hole, team golf format. Starting this year, LIV has moved to 72-hole tournaments. And for the first time, the top 10 finishers in its events will earn points toward their Official World Golf Rankings.

Still, the tour has continued to lose money. A report by Money in Sport earlier this year calculated LIV's operating losses for 2023 at $394 million. In 2024 and 2025, net spending by LIV Golf averaged $100 million per month, according to Golfweek research.

In the meantime, the circuit has started losing some of its high-profile stars as the PGA Tour established a process for qualifying golfers to return.

Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka announced in January he would be taking advantage of that program and returning to the PGA Tour this season.

Shortly afterward, Patrick Reed followed suit.