DeChambeau denies exit plans as LIV Golf scrambles for new funding after Saudi pullout

Key facts

• Saudi Arabia will withdraw its multi-billion dollar backing of LIV Golf at the end of the 2026 season.
• of his planned exit 'completely untrue' and said he is working to find a solution.
• Donald Trump supported the reintroduction of LIV players onto the PGA Tour, saying 'all of the golfers should be playing against each other'.
• Brian Harman said LIV defectors should face consequences if they return, citing 'bad blood and resentment'.
• LIV Golf postponed its June tournament in New Orleans, with officials hoping to reschedule.
• Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under a returning member programme with financial penalties.
• Eleven LIV golfers, including Phil Mickelson, filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour in 2022.
• LIV Golf is searching for replacement financial investment under a new independent board.

LIV Golf's existential crisis

The breakaway LIV Golf series is facing an uncertain future after Saudi Arabia announced it will end its multi-billion-dollar funding at the conclusion of the 2026 season. The decision has thrown the league into turmoil, forcing it to seek alternative financial backing under a newly formed independent board. Bryson DeChambeau, one of LIV's marquee signings, has forcefully denied reports that he is looking to leave before the year ends. 'It's completely untrue. I'm working as hard as I can to find a solution,' the 32-year-old American told Flushing It Golf, insisting he remains committed to making team golf work.

Trump weighs in on reunification

President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind the idea of LIV players returning to the PGA Tour. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he would 'love to see LIV' and wants top golfers competing against each other. 'I want to see Rory playing Bryson DeChambeau. I want to see big Jon Rahm play Scottie,' he added. Trump noted that LIV's next event is scheduled for 7-10 May at his course, Trump National just outside Washington. 'I'm not sure what's happening with LIV, but they are playing at my course in two weeks,' he said.

Division among players over return terms

The 2023 Open champion Brian Harman has taken a harder line, arguing that golfers who defected to LIV should face consequences if they seek to rejoin the PGA Tour. 'I think there has to be something,' he said, citing 'bad blood and resentment' stemming from the 2022 antitrust lawsuit filed by 11 LIV players, including Phil Mickelson, against the Tour. Jordan Spieth acknowledged the complexity, noting that 'olive branches were given out a couple months ago' and that Brooks Koepka had already returned under a programme with substantial financial penalties. Spieth said he was glad not to be the one making the decision.

Uncertainty over LIV's immediate future

LIV Golf has already postponed its June tournament in New Orleans, with officials saying they hope to reschedule later this year. The league's next event is set for early May at Trump National, but the longer-term calendar remains in doubt. Harman cautioned that it is too soon to predict a mass exodus. 'I'm not sure that they're closing shop. The funding's drying up. They could secure funding from somewhere else and keep going,' he said, noting that LIV still boasts 'a lot of big-name players over there, guys that move the needle.'

Background: The schism that reshaped golf

LIV Golf caused a major split in 2022 when it began luring star names away from the PGA Tour with enormous pay increases backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Cameron Smith were among those who turned down the chance to return to the PGA Tour earlier this year. The league's financial model has now been upended by the Saudi withdrawal, leaving its stable of high-profile players in limbo. The search for new investment under an independent board will determine whether LIV can survive as a standalone entity or whether its players will seek a path back to the PGA Tour.

What comes next for LIV's stars

For now, DeChambeau insists he is focused on finding a solution and growing the game globally. 'I think there's a place for it in the ecosystem and I want to continue to grow the game across the world,' he said. But with the Saudi funding set to end in 2026 and the PGA Tour's returning member programme already in place for players like Koepka, the coming months will test the loyalty of LIV's biggest names. The league's ability to attract new investment will be the decisive factor in whether the fractured landscape of professional golf can begin to heal.

The bottom line

• Saudi Arabia will stop funding LIV Golf after the 2026 season, forcing the league to find new investors.
• Bryson DeChambeau has denied plans to leave LIV, stating he is committed to the team format.
• Donald Trump has publicly supported the return of LIV players to the PGA Tour.
• Brian Harman insists that returning LIV players should face consequences, citing ongoing resentment.
• LIV has postponed its June New Orleans event, and its immediate schedule is uncertain.
• The PGA Tour already has a returning member programme with financial penalties, used by Brooks Koepka.