It appears that the days of LIV Golf being a serious player in the game’s landscape may now be numbered, with doubts over the league’s future.
After hours of speculation, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia plan to pull their funding of LIV Golf.
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It seems to be a matter of when, not if, all of LIV’s stars look to leave the league. If the PIF are no longer prepared to bankroll the tour, it is hard to imagine that anyone else is going to be prepared to step in.
That is obviously a big win for the PGA Tour. But the potential demise of LIV could still lead to a number of changes.
With that in mind, here is a look at three…
LIV Golf had its most success when they travelled to some of the markets that have been neglected over the years, most notably Australia and South Africa.
The PGA Tour would be wise to look at hosting more events in those countries in the future, perhaps co-sanctioning more tournaments with the DP World Tour.
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It seems that Brian Rolapp is planning to unveil a second tier of the PGA Tour. That may provide a perfect opportunity to travel around the globe a little more.
Golf has perhaps never been more divided than it has been in the last few years. Rory McIlroy made no secret of his hatred for LIV Golf, while those on the LIV side rarely expressed any regret about their decision to sign up.
There may now be more chance of Bryson DeChambeau facing off with the likes of McIlroy and Brooks Koepka down the stretch of a tournament should he return to the PGA Tour.
Certainly, those who joined LIV will have to expect to answer some awkward questions if they end up returning to the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour.
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While the PGA Tour’s Returning Member Program highlighted that they only truly missed a handful of players, there are a number on LIV Golf who could still have something to offer.
Certainly, LIV did a very good job of recruiting some superb younger players. It will be good news for the PGA Tour if they can add the likes of David Puig, Josele Ballester, and Tom McKibbin to their ranks.
With that, a strong second tier for the PGA Tour could be about to become much more likely.
Those LIV players who want to join the PGA Tour should be forced to start in the second tier upon their return.
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While that may hurt some players who tend to struggle to break the top 100 in the FedEx Cup every year, it will benefit the tour in the long run if there is more genuine star power fighting for promotion immediately.
