LIV golfer says he'll never return to the PGA Tour, reveals internal discussions, whether players were paid

PGA Tour announcer Doug Bell discusses reports that the Saudi Public Investment Fund will cease funding the LIV Golf league after the current season, jeopardizing its future. LIV Golf has incurred reported losses between $6 and $9 billion since its 2021 launch, surprising many agents and players. This significant financial shift underscores a broader reevaluation of investment priorities by Saudi Arabia.

Midway through the 2026 season, LIV Golf is at a crossroads. 

The breakaway golf tour is dealing with major financial challenges, as the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) will no longer back the league and its expensive contracts. That funding was instrumental in getting stars like Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm to leave the PGA Tour, as well as the ability to stage fewer events in international locations. 

Even as rumors swirled about the tour’s future, CEO Scott O’Neil expressed public confidence that the season would go on as scheduled. Soon afterward, an announced date in Louisiana was canceled. With the PIF backing out at the end of the 2026 season, LIV essentially needs to find new investors to continue as a rival tour. 

That financial reality has led to speculation about the future of LIV players. Will the PGA Tour open up a new program with penalties similar to those Brooks Koepka faced upon his return? Will some players have to earn their PGA card back, as Patrick Reed is currently trying to do?

LIV GOLF'S END MAY BE IMMINENT AS REPORT SIGNALS SAUDI ARABIA IS PREPARING TO CUT OFF FUNDING

How it plays out for the entire roster remains to be seen, but there’s one LIV golfer who, to put it mildly, has no interest in going back to the PGA Tour regardless of what happens.

Thomas Pieters