Last year, among the merger talks, there was speculation about the future of LIV Golf. There were many rumors about players who were on the verge of leaving the league. Throughout the year, there were even a couple of former LIV players who earned a PGA Tour Card. However, today rumors are abound that LIV Golf is on borrowed time as the 2026 season continues, and the factors going into it are far beyond the league’s control.
Why Would LIV Golf Shut Down?
The main concern is financial. LIV Golf is still very new, and it has yet to make a profit. The league is currently running at a deficit of $5 billion. This is in large part due to its spending habits towards big events, big venues, and big names. The first wave of players coming over from the PGA have been given some very generous contracts, to say the least.
For LIV Golf, money has not been a problem, in large part due to the Saudi Arabia PIF. The country’s economy is based on the export of oil. Something that the whole world is always willing to buy for better or for worse. So long as the oil flows, so too will the money. That is, until the water routes are blocked.
Previously, the war in Iran had already spilled into the surrounding countries. When it broke out, eight LIV players were stranded in the Middle East when the airports were forced to shut down. Now the Strait of Hormuz, the main waterway used for trade in the area, is being blockaded. The flow of revenue for Saudi Arabia is cut off until the blockade lifts. This means that for the long-term financial health of the country, cuts have to be made. The speculation is that LIV Golf is one of the first on that chopping block.
LIV Golf Denying Rumors
The rumors came up due to an emergency meeting being called for Thursday, April 16th. The CEO of LIV, Scott O’Neil, sent out an email ahead of this meeting to try to alleviate the concerns anyone has over the future of the league. It has done little to douse any fires sparked, yet O’Neil wrote the following:
“I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle,” O’Neil wrote in the email. “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.”
What About The Players?
The biggest question after a LIV shutdown is around the players. What can they do, and where will they go? There is a path back into the main leagues, like the PGA and DP World Tour. Brooks Koepka made the jump earlier this year as part of a new program. The tour would likely offer something similar again if LIV were to shut down suddenly. The DPWT has been kinder to LIV players and actively has a handful on the tour at the time of writing. The sustainability of LIV Golf has always been tenuous at best, but no one expected a war to be a massive factor in its future.
Main Photo Credit: © Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters via Imagn Images
