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The Four Biggest Losers After LIV Golf’s Bankruptcy Filing

Andy Nesbitt|
Phil Mickelson’s time with LIV Golf has been a disaster.
Phil Mickelson’s time with LIV Golf has been a disaster. | Action Images via Reuters

LIV Golf announced a predictable move on Tuesday as the golf league, which recently lost all of its funding from the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, filed for bankruptcy. CEO Scott O’Neil said in a statement that the move will only help LIV Golf make the changes it needs to continue and told fans that they have a lot to look forward to even though it feels like the next iteration of the league will look a lot different.

LIV Golf started in 2022 thanks to the endless supply of cash that the PIF funneled into it. Huge names made the jump from the PGA Tour thanks to contracts that had many commas after the dollar signs. Those players spoke about how they wanted to grow the game and looked forward to not only competing with the PGA Tour, but becoming the best professional golf tour in the world.

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Well, that didn’t happen and now LIV Golf is looking at a future that could have a total of 10 tournaments a year, much smaller purses and fewer big names teeing it up. That is, if the league is able to find the funding to even continue.

"The people of LIV Golf, led by the players, have continued to show incredible resilience, commitment, and a shared belief in what we are building," O'Neil said in his statement after the bankruptcy filing. "This process gives us the structure and time to pursue a landmark transaction and begin the next chapter of LIV Golf."

While we wait to see what exactly happens to LIV Golf 2.0, let’s look at the biggest losers from the bankruptcy move.

Phil Mickelson, who had a lot to say about LIV Golf’s battle vs. the PGA Tour when he joined in June of 2022.

Phil Mickelson is one of the all-time greats of the game. He also likes to talk a lot and his words often come back to bite him. That happened again since he joined LIV Golf and now he looks really silly for saying the things he has said over the years.

Back in 2023 Mickelson tweeted about LIV Golf’s future, saying the league was in it for long game and that everyone would be stunned by moves “32-37.” Well it seems like those moves either haven’t happened yet or will never happen considering how bleak things look right now for LIV Golf.

A few months before that tweet, Mickelson said on X that “not a single player on LIV wants to play PGA Tour.” Well, this year Brooks Koepka made the jump back to the PGA Tour and so did Patrick Reed, who will soon be able to play in PGA Tour events after serving his 12-month suspension.

Mickelson’s brash words about LIV Golf and the future of the professional golf were just a lot of noise. His reputation has taken a huge hit since he left the PGA Tour and he has never really been a factor in any LIV Golf tournaments (Mickelson missed most of the 2026 season while dealing with a family medical issue).

Jon Rahm thought his move to LIV Golf would bring the two tours together. That didn’t happen and now he’s stuck.

NESBITT: Rory McIlroy Had a Brutally Honest Line About LIV Golf’s Best Players. And He Wasn’t Wrong.

Jon Rahm going to LIV Golf was initially thought to be a devastating move for the PGA Tour back when he made the shocking decision to make the jump in December of 2023. He signed a contract that brought him a reported $300 million, but it’s a deal that he’s currently stuck in and it’s unclear what will happen to him next. Rahm hoped that his star power would be enough to lead to LIV Golf and the PGA Tour coming together but that never happened.

Rahm spoke Tuesday about his situation, saying:

“There’s just a lot of things in place. There’s a lot of things that could happen. It’s one of those things with time, time’s going to tell. I still have a contract with LIV 1.0 that I’m more than willing to fulfill so like I said, time will tell.”

Rahm can’t be thrilled with the direction that LIV Golf is going in. He’s still also owed a lot of money from the league. He’s wasted some of the prime years of his career playing for LIV Golf and now he can only wait to see how things play out for his future instead of being in control of future. Rough times for one of the best players in the game. But again, it was his decision that led to his current situation.

Bryson DeChambeau is another big name who wanted big things from LIV Golf, but now is just big on YouTube.

Unlike Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau’s contract with LIV Golf came to an end following the 2026 season. He has spoken recently about how he’s optimistic about the future of the league but you have to wonder how he really feels about it all, especially with how things currently stand.

DeChambeau made the jump to LIV Golf in 2022. He was pumped up to grow the game of golf and thought his move would be a big blow to the PGA Tour. Now who knows what is next for him. DeChambeau has mentioned recently that he could see himself just doing videos on his YouTube channel and playing in major championships that he has already qualified for with past wins. That would be a shame, because he is one of golf’s biggest stars and moves the needle when he plays in big events, for better or worse.

NESBITT: Bryson DeChambeau Needs to Grow Up

DeChambeau, like Rahm, thought his move to LIV Golf would mean big things for the sport but now with the Saudi money no longer on the table, it’s evident that his move didn’t really accomplish anything besides helping his bank account.

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil continues to fight a battle that seems unwinnable.

O’Neil was named LIV Golf’s CEO in July of 2025, taking over for the legendary Greg Norman. It’s been a rocky road ever since then and now he is left trying keep the league alive. If LIV Golf does survive it’s going to look very different.

O’Neil insisted on Tuesday that the bankruptcy move was necessary to help LIV Golf get to where it needed to be financially to set it up for its new-look future.

"Plenty of well-known companies have taken this path before us including Marvel Entertainment, Delta Airlines, and Caesars Entertainment, along with sports franchises like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Leeds United F.C.," O'Neil said on Tuesday.

We’ll have to wait and see if LIV Golf can find that type of success in the future, or if the end is in fact near.

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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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