Yesterday, rumours began to swirl that the end was nigh for LIV Golf. Sources from across golf all sent up the same smoke signal: LIV Golf, as suddenly as it was born, was seemingly dead.
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We still await official word from LIV leadership and the Saudi Public Investment Fund, but if LIV does go the way of the Dodo Bird before ever getting its wings, it’s hard not to view the 2026 Masters as the final nail in the disruptor league’s coffin.
Apart from a great T-3 performance by Tyrrell Hatton, it was a disastrous showing in Augusta by LIV’s biggest stars, who were expected to come in ready to compete despite the less intense nature of LIV’s schedule and competition. Bryson DeChambeau, the league’s biggest asset and one of the tournament favourites, looked completely lost, firing 76-74 on his way to a missed cut. DeChambeau spoke several times throughout the spring about how YouTube series like “Break 50” help him to prepare him for the major season. He even shot an episode of “Course Record” at Texarkana Country Club (a.k.a. “Little Augusta”) in preparation for the Masters. Clearly, it didn’t work, and with a LIV Golf contract extension still yet to materialise, this year’s Masters may have been yet another cause for pause for DeChambeau.
Jon Rahm – who won the 2023 Masters before joining the Saudi-backed league – fared slightly better than DeChambeau… but only just. He squeaked into the weekend, but looked wild and inconsistent. A closing 68 helped salvage a T-38 finish for the Spaniard, but when juxtaposed against his opening 78, it only emphasised his erratic play. After his final round, Rahm told reporters he needed to make some changes “preparation-wise”. That could be as simple as changes to his range routine… or as significant as looking outside of LIV for competitive reps. In his press conferences at Augusta National, Rahm was also asked about his unpaid fines to the DP World Tour and their impact on his eligibility for the 2027 Ryder Cup. Following another lacklustre major performance, it’s fair to say that these issues – direct results of his 2023 move to LIV Golf – are no longer just annoyances, but distractions.
Then there’s Sergio Garcia. Oh boy, is there Sergio. His last bout of actual relevance came at the 2017 Masters, when he claimed the major championship that was supposed to validate his entire résumé. Last week, Rory McIlroy showed us the freedom and joy than can come with finally feeling like you belong. Garcia threw all of that away when he joined LIV to helm the ill-fated Fireballs, and his repeated outbursts since – including a final-day tantrum that damaged the second tee at Augusta National and drew a reprimand from the club – smack of bitterness and resentment. No matter the cause, it is obvious Garcia is not enjoying himself on the golf course, and that was supposed to be the point of LIV Golf all along: fewer tournaments, fewer rounds, louder music, more fun!
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Finally, there’s Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed. Neither are LIV players anymore, after walking away from the league in shocking fashion before this season, yet they competed better than they have in years at Augusta National. In fact, both finished in a tie for 12th at five-under-par. Kopeka, who returned to the PGA Tour at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, looked consistent throughout, shooting 72-69-71-71. He missed the cut in 2025 while still with LIV Golf.
Reed meanwhile found himself hot on McIlroy’s heels after three straight birdies to start his third round. For a moment, it looked as if a second green jacket was to be his not the Northern Irishman’s. Reed faded, but has played some of the best golf of his career since leaving LIV, winning twice on the DP World Tour. Most importantly, both players, who have played the role of villains at various points throughout their careers, found themselves not just accepted, but urged on by the gallery at Augusta National. Even if their improved play post-LIV is a coincidence, the support they experienced was not.
There’s no doubt that the rumoured end of LIV Golf will be the result of a myriad of factors. Competitive, financial, even geopolitical as the hostilities in the Middle East, where LIV Golf is headquartered, continue to intensify. But it’s impossible not to look at the performance of current and former LIV players at golf’s biggest event and the timing of LIV’s alleged demise and not see a connection. Call it the straw that broke the camel’s back, call it the final nail in the coffin, call it whatever you want, but in a strange way, the Masters dealing LIV Golf’s death blow would be a fitting, and highly symbolic, end to one of golf’s strangest chapters.
