LIV Golf executives reportedly jetted into New York on Wednesday for an emergency meeting as the fate of the rebel league hangs in the balance.
The crunch summit is said to have come shortly after a bombshell report claimed that an announcement on the circuit’s future is expected ‘imminently.’
The golf league, funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), has been a disruptor in the sport since 2022, when it poached a host of the PGA Tour’s biggest names, including major champions Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, with lucrative multi-million-dollar contracts.
However, the breakaway has undergone a series of changes this year, including the loss of two high-profile players, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed.
And now, the international circuit could disappear altogether as it hemorrhages millions of dollars.
On the eve of LIV Golf’s $30million Mexico City tournament, not a single executive was on site at Club de Golf Chapultepec after they were summoned to Manhattan for ‘an emergency summit,’ according to The Telegraph. The reason for the meeting was not provided.
News of the meeting emerged shortly after a fresh report plunged the future of the breakaway into mystery on Tuesday evening.
Monday Q Info, a golf X account with with almost 200,000 followers run by Ryan French, claimed that multiple sources had informed it that ‘a bombshell announcement on LIV’s future is imminent.’
The social media post added: ‘We don’t give out gambling advice but if you’re a prediction market type person I would bet the under of whatever they have posted.’
Later on Tuesday night, French spoke on X Spaces and revealed he had heard from other people he trusts that LIV Golf is ‘shutting down.’
The Daily Mail reached out to LIV Golf for comment but did not immediately hear back.
The news came as LIV prepares to tee off in Mexico on Thursday for its sixth event of its fifth season, and the first since the Masters last week.
However, no pre-tournament press conferences took place on Tuesday with LIV Golf reportedly suffering ‘technical difficulties.’
Rahm, who won the individual championship last year, was scheduled to speak to the media on Tuesday morning but never materialized, according to reporter Chris McKee. All press conferences have reportedly been rescheduled for Wednesday.
However, it appeared to be business as usual for the breakaway on Wednesday when LIV’s official X account shared a video promoting the Mexico City event, which begins on Thursday.
LIV executives, including CEO Scott O’Neil, were spotted at Augusta National during last week’s Masters tournament.
The Masters proved to be a disaster for all but one of LIV’s stars competing at last week’s major championship as Augusta National laid bare the fall from grace of the former golfing titans.
While Tyrrell Hatton clinched his place in next year’s Masters field with a tied-third finish two shots behind Rory McIlroy, many of LIV’s stars suffered lackluster and, frankly, humiliating runouts at Augusta.
DeChambeau, billed one of the favorites heading into the Masters, failed to make the cut. Rahm, despite a final-day rally, was a pale impression of the champion who won three years ago finishing T-38. And Sergio Garcia was issued a code of conduct warning after a spectacular meltdown.
Following the disappointing Masters displays for the league and the subsequent claims about its future, renowned golf analyst Brandel Chamblee believes it was the final nail in the coffin.
‘Given that the product was so ill-conceived and ended up being worse than anyone could have imagined,’ Chamblee posted on X.
‘With shotgun starts, initially 54 holes, a team concept that was nothing but laughable and tournaments that meant and continue to mean nothing, and such a paltry number of viewers, losing billions along the way – would it surprise anyone if the Saudis came to their senses and finally euthanized the whole lame-brained tour.’
Suggestion that the tour could disband comes at a surprising time after it underwent a major revamp ahead of the new season and even recently secured a considerable victory in its battle with the orthodox golfing establishment.
In November, it was confirmed that this season LIV would be ditching the 54-hole format that has been a staple selling point of the breakaway circuit since its inception.
The circuit pivoted to 72 holes in line with the traditional approach, which was believed to be geared towards aiding LIV’s plight to finally be recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking body.
LIV’s failure to date to secure ranking points has seen its star names plummet down the global standings, with the consequence that they have found it increasingly difficult to qualify for the four majors.
It was a significant step, not least because the circuit’s very name is the Roman numeral of 54, and one that did not entirely pay off.
While LIV finally gained OWGR recognition in February following four long years of campaigning, the ruling deemed that only players finishing inside the top-10 at LIV-sanctioned events would be awarded ranking points.
In making their determinations, OWGR chiefs reasoned that LIV Golf had still not met its eligibility criteria, even after the tour had announced that it would be moving to a 72-hole format.
The league issued a scathing statement, claiming that ‘no other tour in OWGR history had been subjected to such a restriction’.
To add insult to injury, Reed and Koepka, two of LIV’s marquee signings, walked away from the league earlier this year.
Five-time major winner Koepka announced he was walking away from the final 12 months of his LIV deal shortly before Christmas. He was permitted to return to the PGA Tour under its ‘Returning Members Program’.
The scheme offered Koepka, who joined LIV for a signing fee in the region of $100million, a one-time reinstatement in exchange for a $5 million charity contribution and a five-year forfeiture of the PGA Tour’s Player Equity Program
It allowed any golfer who has won a major or the Players Championship between 2022 and 2025 to be welcomed back, opening the door to DeChambeau, Rahm and Cameron Smith. However, the trio did not follow suit and accept the offer.
Shortly after Koepka’s exit, Reed also quit the rebel circuit in January, shortly after revealing that he was out of contract with the Saudi-backed circuit.
However, unlike 2023 PGA Championship winner Koepka, Reed was not eligible for an immediate return to the PGA Tour. The 2018 Masters champion has instead been competing on Europe’s DP World Tour with the intention of returning to the PGA Tour for the 2027 season.
