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It's claimed that several LIV Golf stars will quit the rebel league once the Saudis withdraw their funding at the end of 2026.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced it will no longer financially back LIV after this season ends. That has left LIV's CEO, Scott O'Neil, scrambling for new funding to keep the circuit operational ahead of 2027.
While there's a decent chance LIV will remain in business beyond this year, it's highly unlikely to keep offering $30 million purses for each event. That staggering prize fund was one of the main reasons why LIV was initially able to attract some of golf's biggest stars — such as Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson — to join the league back in 2022.
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Yet it's unclear just how many of those big-name players would continue competing in the league if those purses were significantly reduced. Two-time U.S. Open winner DeChambeau, for instance, is out of contract at the end of this season.
O'Neil and LIV suffered a further blow earlier this week when the Asian Tour announced a new partnership with the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. The Asian Tour had recently been in an alliance with LIV.
Two-time major winner Martin Kaymer then delivered more bad news on Thursday when he revealed it's "highly unlikely" that LIV's end-of-season team championship would go ahead.
He also admitted that he's unsure whether the league will continue in 2027.
LIV's biggest names are clearly worried about the league's future, and it seems they are making plans for next season. Seven players have allegedly told Flushing It, a popular social media account, that they plan to leave LIV at the end of 2027.
It's also claimed that these players will not perform a U-turn on that plan, even if more funding arrives. One anonymous LIV star told Flushing It: "I have to look after myself and my career.
"Every year I play on LIV is another suspension. I can play the next few events and make as much money as I can, and then play in Asia and get DP invites. I could be on the PGA Tour in two years if I play well."
LIV stars are starting to slowly but surely make their way back to golf's traditional circuits. Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka was immediately handed a one-off route back to the PGA Tour at the start of the year after deciding to call time on his LIV career.
Yet other players will not have that luxury; current LIV stars who wish to rejoin the PGA Tour will have to wait a year from their last LIV appearance to be eligible to play on the American-based circuit again (not including majors and co-sanctioned events).
Patrick Reed is following that blueprint. The former Masters champion quit LIV at the beginning of the year to play full-time on the DP World Tour. He'll be eligible to play on the PGA Tour again from August before picking up his full-time membership in 2027.
LIV stars who depart at the end of this season know that they will be able to fall back on either the DP World Tour or the Asian Tour before working their way up to the PGA Tour, which is almost certain to offer the most lucrative purses in golf from 2027 onwards.
