What's next for LIV Golf? For starters, this week's event in Mexico

With questions about its immediate future addressed, LIV Golf is turning its focus to the task at hand: this week’s 72-hole event in Mexico City.

Golfers are set to tee off at 3:15 p.m. ET today at Club de Golf Chapultepec.

This after rumors about the circuit possibly shutting down swirled over the past couple of days. Then on Wednesday, sources close to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – which has poured an estimated $5.3 billion into LIV Golf since its founding in 2022 – told Reuters that funding for the remaining nine tournaments of the 2026 season would go ahead as planned.

LIV Golf CEO says 2026 season will go on ‘as planned’

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil, in a Wednesday email to LIV Golf staff, said that the tour’s 2026 season will continue “exactly as planned.”

ESPN obtained the email from O’Neil. It says, in part:

“I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle. While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the grass. We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organization that is bigger, louder, and more influential than ever before.”

“The life of a startup movement is often defined by these moments of pressure,” O’Neil added, per ESPN. “We signed up for this because we believe in disrupting the status quo. We have faced headwinds since the jump, and we’ve answered every time with resilience and grace. Now, we answer by doing what we do best: putting on the most compelling show in sports.”

O’Neil did not commit to anything beyond the 2026 in his email.

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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league

LIV Golf remains in the headlines as executives meet amid ongoing conversations about the future of the sport.

See the LIV golfers who continue to draw attention through both current competition and their place in the broader discussion.

Above, Byeong Hun An in action during the first round of play at LIV Golf Riyadh at the Riyadh Golf Club.

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LIV Golf running out of time? Meet the players who define the league

LIV Golf remains in the headlines as executives meet amid ongoing conversations about the future of the sport.

See the LIV golfers who continue to draw attention through both current competition and their place in the broader discussion.

Above, Byeong Hun An in action during the first round of play at LIV Golf Riyadh at the Riyadh Golf Club.

Paul Casey of Crushers GC chips onto the first green during the finals of the LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship at The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort.

Bryson DeChambeau celebrates after winning in a playoff against Byeong-Hun An of South Korea during the final round of The Memorial Tournament Presented by Nationwide at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 3, 2018, in Dublin, Ohio.

Sergio Garcia plays his shot on the seventeenth hole from the eighth hole during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Tyrrell Hatton tees off on the first hole during the third round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Charles Howell III, Bryson DeChambeau and Paul Casey of the Crushers GC celebrate the Dallas LIV team championship during the final round of the LIV Golf Dallas golf tournament at Maridoe Golf Club.

Dustin Johnson lines up a putt on the 17th green during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

Martin Kaymer of team Cleeks Golf Club hits a tee shot on the fourth hole during the final round of the LIV Golf Virginia golf tournament at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.

Anthony Kim hits from the second tee during the final round of the LIV Golf Black Diamond Ranch golf tournament at Black Diamond Ranch.

Phil Mickelson of HyFlyers GC reacts to a putt at the 12th green on day one of LIV Golf Virginia at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on June 06, 2025, in Gainesville, Virginia.

Joaquin Niemann of Torque GC celebrates after winning day three of LIV Golf Virginia at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on June 08, 2025, in Gainesville, Virginia.

Louis Oosthuizen of Stinger GC tees off at the ninth hole on day two of LIV Golf Virginia at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on June 07, 2025, in Gainesville, Virginia.

British golfer Ian Poulter of Majesticks GC plays his shot from the second tee during the quarterfinals of the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Miami at Trump National Doral Miami golf club in Miami, Florida, on October 28, 2022.

Jon Rahm of Legion XIII poses with the LIV golf season individual trophy on day three of LIV Golf Indianapolis at The Club at Chatham Hills on August 17, 2025, in Westfield, Indiana.

South African golfer Charl Schwartzel celebrates with the trophy after winning the LIV Golf Invitational London at The Centurion Club on June 11, 2022. The $25 million event marked the launch of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series, the richest tournament purse in golf history at the time.

Australia’s Cameron Smith of Ripper GC plays a shot at the 5th tee during the first round of the LIV Golf Korea at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon on May 2, 2025.

USA’s Bubba Watson watches his shot during the second day of the LIV Golf Adelaide at the Grange Golf Club in Adelaide on February 15, 2025.

Lee Westwood of Majesticks GC reacts to a putt on the 18th hole during day three of the LIV Golf Invitational – Orlando at The Orange County National on April 02, 2023, in Orlando, Florida.

Can LIV Golf stars return to PGA Tour?

LIV Golf disrupted professional golf’s status quo when it began poaching players and holding its own tournaments in 2022, backed by the hefty wallet of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). It created division within the sport as several notable former major tournament winners elected to take historic pay days to defect from the PGA Tour.

Now that it appears the Saudis are backing away from supporting LIV Golf beyond the 2026 season, the question turns to what happens with its biggest stars, such as Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm.

The process won’t be straightforward, and not simply because PGA Tour officials and existing PGA Tour golfers don’t necessarily want them to return. Circumstances and initial status awarded by the Tour will depend on the golfer, and on what terms they left. — Mark Gionnotto

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LIV Golf future still murky, but Mexico City tournament presses on

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