LIV Golf's future may hang in balance as execs meet, per report

The heavyweight battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf might be nearing the end.

Officials from the breakaway tour have been summoned to an emergency meeting in New York, according to a report in The Telegraph, amid speculation fueled by social media Tuesday night that the circuit could be on the verge of shutting down operations.

Questions about the future of the Saudi-backed golf circuit resurfaced after a post on social media said “a bombshell announcement” was imminent. The Monday Q Info account on X, which is run by golf insider Ryan French, cited multiple unnamed sources.

French also went on an X live stream later in the evening on April 14 to elaborate.

“I think everybody should probably stay near their phones… It’s happening. It’s definitely happening,” French said on “The Takesman.”

Meanwhile, LIV Golf’s event this week in Mexico City canceled its pre-tournament news conference on Tuesday, just hours before it was scheduled to begin.

Officials said it was due to “technical issues” and would be rescheduled for today.

Telegraph Sport reported that no LIV Golf executives were on site at Mexico City’s Club de Golf Chapultepec because they were attending what was described as “an emergency summit” in Manhattan.

Tee times were just released for Thursday’s first round of the LIV Golf Mexico tournament, though Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner reports players are still unsure if they’ll be taking the course.

Bryson DeChambeau waves to the crowd at the 2025 LIV Golf Indianapolis tournament at The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield, Indiana.

In 2023, the Saudi Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour announced plans for a merger. However, negotiations stalled shortly afterward and no further progress has been announced.

There have also been rumors more recently of LIV merging with the DP World Tour, but sources adamantly denied to The Telegraph that was the subject of this week’s emergency meeting.

LIV Golf roster

A total of 58 golfers − 13 different 4-man teams, plus six wild cards − are listed on the LIV Golf website’s Teams & Players page. Among the notable names:

Byeong Hun An, South Korea
Louis Oosthuisen, South Africa
Charl Schwartzel, South Africa

LIV Golf history

Backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf was founded in 2021 as an alternative to the PGA Tour.

Since its first season in 2022, LIV has lured several international golf stars – including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia – away from the PGA Tour with its big-money guarantees.

However, the circuit has struggled to gain credibility in the golf world, due in part to its original 54-hole, team golf format. Starting this year, LIV has moved to 72-hole tournaments. And for the first time, the top 10 finishers in its events will earn points toward their Official World Golf Rankings.

Still, the tour has continued to lose money. A report by Money in Sport earlier this year calculated LIV’s operating losses for 2023 at $394 million.

In the meantime, the circuit has started losing some of its high-profile stars as the PGA Tour established a process for qualifying golfers to return.

Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka announced in January he would be taking advantage of that program and returning to the PGA Tour this season.

Shortly afterward, Patrick Reed followed suit.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LIV Golf faces rumors of shutdown amid emergency meeting | Report

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