What is the future of LIV Golf?

SINGAPORE – When LIV Golf burst onto the scene in 2022, it positioned itself as the sport’s great disruptor.

Its slogan then, “Golf, but louder”, said it all. Music played in the background of events, tournament prize purses were worth at least US$25 million (S$32 million) and a team competition ran alongside the traditional individual battle.

Backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, it lured some of the sport’s biggest names, including multiple Major champions Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson, away from established tours with multi-year contracts reportedly worth more than US$100 million.

The breakaway circuit tore up golf’s rulebook – events were played over 54 holes with no cut instead of 72 and they started with shotgun tee-offs across a field of 48 players from 12 teams.

Now in its fifth season, it begs the question: Has LIV Golf moved the needle?

Is the revolution still on track?

LIV chief executive Scott O’Neil, who replaced Greg Norman in January 2025, believes the league has grown beyond its insurgent beginnings.

At LIV Singapore, he told The Straits Times: “If you look at where we are as a league now, it’s no longer this brash start-up.

“This is a growing company with bold ambition – a clear mission and business facts and stats to back up what we’re trying to become, what we aim to become.”

He pointed to expanding broadcast partnerships with Fox, DAZN and KC Global Media, which have brought LIV coverage to 900 million households in more than 200 territories.

O’Neil noted that major brands such as Rolex, HSBC and Salesforce have also joined as sponsors, highlighting the league’s commercial appeal.

Prize money remains one of the league’s biggest selling points. Total purse this season amount to US$470 million across individual and team competitions in 14 events.

The weekly team purse has increased from US$5 million to US$10 million, with every team earning prize money each week and a new US$2.3 million individual bonus pool for teams who finish on the podium.

In comparison, the total prize money on offer on the PGA Tour for the 2026 season amounts to over US$550 million over 45 events.

Yet, despite the financial muscle, developments in the 2026 season have raised fresh questions about whether LIV can maintain its early momentum.

The framework agreement announced in June 2023 to merge the PGA Tour and LIV Golf was meant to unify the fractured men’s game, but discussions are still ongoing three years on, with no clear resolution in sight.

Just last week, LIV star Jon Rahm accused the DP World Tour of “extorting” players through conditions imposed on those wishing to return to the European circuit.

A talent drain or reset

Some of the things that once made LIV stand out have also begun to change.

In December, five-time Major champion and former world No. 1 Koepka became the first marquee player to leave LIV and rejoin the PGA Tour through the circuit’s Returning Member Programme.

Under the programme, players who have won a Major or The Players Championship since 2022 can regain eligibility for the league.

The one-time offer, which lasted until Feb 2, required those accepting it to be subjected to “severe and justified” financial penalties.

Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith – the only other LIV players who qualify for the PGA Tour’s programme – decided to stay with the breakaway league.

Weeks later, former Masters champion Patrick Reed indicated he would leave LIV, with plans to return to the PGA Tour as a non-member from August, before reinstating his membership for the 2027 season, when he would play out of the past champion category.

Five-time Major champion Rory McIlroy said in January that the lack of major signings for the 2026 season suggests that LIV’s early momentum may be fading.

Speaking to Telegraph Sport, the world No. 2 said: “It’s not as if they made any huge signings this year, is it?

“They haven’t signed anyone who moves the needle and I don’t think they will.”

The Northern Irishman said even a mega-money contract extension for DeChambeau, who is signed through 2026, would not change the overall picture.

He added: “They’ll just be paying for the exact same thing. And they’ve lost Brooks... He is one of the best players in the world and anything that makes the traditional tours stronger is a good thing in my book.”

O’Neil, however, insists the league’s field remains stronger than ever.

While there have been no blockbuster signings, LIV has leaned into emerging talent.

New arrivals in 2026 include Belgium’s first PGA Tour winner Thomas Detry, three-time DP World Tour champion Victor Perez and 2025 National Collegiate Athletic Association winner Michael La Sasso.

O’Neil said: “So much has been talked about in terms of a couple of players who have moved on to other opportunities, but I will tell you when I look at the players that have come in, we’re pretty happy with where we are.”

“This is the strongest field we’ve ever had and I anticipate that trend to continue for quite some time,” he added.

Golf fan Julian Monti cautioned that it is too early to tell whether Koepka and Reed’s exits signal a broader exodus.

The Argentinian, 32, said: “I like disruptors, to be honest, in every sense. It’s for the fans, right? There’s more golf to watch. The PGA was just in the US; LIV brought it internationally.

“It’s good for the sport, brings in more people and it breaks the chain of how traditional golf was.

“What LIV has done is grounded it a bit more and made it at least more accessible for everyone around the world to watch and get inspired to play afterwards.”

Others feel the initial hype may have faded.

Oliver Ho, 17, said: “It doesn’t feel like a super serious event as compared to the US Open or the PGA Tour. It seems like a more fun event because it also doesn’t have much history behind it as well.

“It’s only been five years; they’re still at the start of it. They probably can progress deeper into it eventually. The current players are also not top-tier.

“I think the hype might die down; the only reason it might not is that the money may attract players.”

Losing what made it different?

The format that once defined LIV has also begun to evolve.

In 2026, the league abandoned the 54-hole structure that anchored its identity and shifted to the traditional 72-hole format.

O’Neil said the move was partly driven by fan demand in certain markets.

He said: “In many markets, we’d run out of inventory. In markets like Australia, Indianapolis and the United Kingdom, we’d run out of room for fans. With demand like that, there was an aptitude to adding more.”

Another key reason for the change was to align the format with the Majors to help LIV players prepare for the sport’s biggest stages.

While some, like Rahm, supported the move, others were on the fence about it.

DeChambeau was quoted in February by Today’s Golfer as saying: “It’s definitely changed away from what we had initially been told it was going to be...

“So I think we’re supposed to be different, so I’m a little indifferent to it right now. Hopefully it weighs positively on me over the course of time, but you never know. I’m not sure. We didn’t sign up to play for 72.”

Local professional golfer Nicklaus Chiam believes LIV still offers a unique product.

He said: “It is still an interesting concept and different from how the other tours are playing the game (the team events, shotgun starts and being louder).

“They still have really strong players on LIV and probably still will for a long time.”

Golf’s recognition battle

Progress has been made in some areas, including partial recognition from the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) system, with the top-10 finishers in the 2026 LIV events earning ranking points.

The ranking body had previously rejected LIV’s application, citing concerns about competitive integrity due to its small fields and limited pathways for players to enter or leave the circuit.

Since taking over, O’Neil has pushed for reforms including promotion and relegation through the season points list and expanded qualification routes to be part of the current field of 57, which includes five wild cards.

Wild cards are awarded through the International Series, which are elevated tournaments sanctioned by the Asian Tour. In 2025, the top two players in the standings earned LIV spots for 2026.

Over four years, the International Series has staged events in 17 countries and featured 364 players from more than 40 nations.

Three additional places are available through the LIV Golf Promotions event.

Eligibility for OWGR points also opens more doors to the Majors, in addition to formal qualification pathways for LIV players to the US Open and British Open that were introduced in 2025.

Rahm believes these developments could shift perceptions towards the league.

He said: “Now that we’re accepted in the world ranking mechanism, I think if people gave it a fair chance, a lot of minds would be open, and you wouldn’t be so... hostile against it.

“I think there’s beautiful things about LIV Golf than a lot of people will appreciate. I think the team aspect of things can be wonderful for golf. I think you can see a lot of people competing with much more intensity than people believe we have here.”

Taking the game worldwide

If LIV has a defining strength, it may be its global reach.

The inaugural season in 2022 featured eight tournaments across England, the United States, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

Since then, the circuit has expanded across multiple continents.

Singapore has staged a LIV event every year since 2023, with discussions ongoing about the future of the tournament here.

Some markets have embraced the concept. The Adelaide event in February drew over 115,000 spectators, a record attendance for a LIV tournament.

The circuit has also reinforced its presence in Asia, announcing a multi-year agreement on March 9 to hold an event at the Asiad Country Club in Busan, South Korea.

O’Neil said: “We want to make sure there’s an opportunity for young fans to see some of the greatest players in the world and our mission is really clear – to grow the game of golf around the world.”

Australian golf fan Andrew Porter, who follows other tours including the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, said of LIV: “It’s a bit more accessible, more exciting, a great format – just a big fan of a lot of the players and it’s just a lot of fun.

“It would be good if the ranking system was a bit fairer and all golfers were on a level playing field as far as rankings go, if there was more interchangeability between the tours.”