GOLF’s weekly Tour Confidential roundtable breaks down the game’s biggest headlines. In this special edition we’ll dig into LIV Golf’s collapse, where it all went wrong and what’s next.
LIV Golf is shutting down and moving toward a full liquidation, news we officially learned on Thursday and covered in depth with an emergency edition of Tour Confidential here. But now, a few days removed from the bombshell, what post-LIV thought has taken up the most space in your mind?
Sean Zak, senior writer: It seems to be shutting LIV down. It was also reported Sunday by the Financial Times that BC Partners could be interested in buying out the DIP loan (roughly $50 million) from the PIF and continuing its work on LIV 2.0, which sent my head spinning. My thoughts this weekend revolve around the players whom LIV did get to commit. The number was reported at about 30, which is not nothing. But were any of them important players? Or just players with no home now? No tour that will really have them?
Zephyr Melton, associate game-improvement editor (@zephyrmelton): It’s interesting that BC has any interest in keeping the failed league alive. The league was boring when it had PIF backing, but with a (theoretical) scaled-down budget for 2.0 we are supposed to believe it would somehow get more interesting? Enough with the gaslighting. Let the league die.
Josh Schrock, associate news editor (@Schrock_And_Awe): What becomes of Bryson now that LIV is, at least for the moment, dead? He released a statement Sunday about being willing to be humble and do whatever is necessary to move forward. But he also praised LIV and the decision he made to “believe” in team golf. He can take up DP World Tour membership by virtue of a major exemption from the 2024 U.S. Open and I imagine they would love to have him as they look toward a 2027 with deeper membership. But if they don’t, or if it’s not for him, where does he play? And if BC Partners does wind up creating a successor to LIV, is that where he feels his future should be? LIV always fit with Bryson. It allowed him to stand out in a way the PGA Tour, where he was a semi-outcast, did not. Will he be willing to eat the humble pie that’s necessary to earn his way back?
In his first start as a non-LIV member, Jon Rahm beat fellow LIV defector Tyrrell Hatton by two to win the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, Rahm’s first non-LIV victory since he won the 2023 Masters. There’s still some uncertainty regarding how PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp plans to handle LIV players returning to the Tour, but could showings like this — two top LIV players flexing their skillsets — twist Rolapp’s arm to consider a Koepka-like return policy over suspensions to make the Tour better right away? Or do you think his mind is made up at this point?
Zak: The problem is … Rolapp already tried. He already offered Rahm an out — or rather, an in — back in January. Rahm didn’t take it, and while things were probably different contractually for Koepka than it was for Rahm, I think if there was a will there would have been a way. Now there is undoubtedly some will, but Rolapp has to create a way. And I don’t think he absolutely needs to. And I think he’d win a lot of support internally if he asks Rahm to earn his way back over time.
Melton: Like SZ noted above, Rahm had his chance to come back earlier this year, and he didn’t take it. I think that ties Rolapp’s hands in what he can do for Rahm now. Better to keep his members happy and let Rahm earn his way back rather than throw him another lifeline and risk alienating more Tour members.
Schrock: Agreed. Rahm even alluded to the fact that he turned down the Koepka deal and didn’t think he’d get a similar one during his pre-tournament press conference. Even Adam Scott, not exactly a boat-rocker, said he thought LIV guys should “re-establish” themselves on their preferred tour. I think Rahm’s 2027 path is the DP World Tour, where he should easily be able to win his Tour card back and Rolapp can earn points with the rank and file.
Rory McIlroy, who was third in Abu Dhabi, received a two-stroke penalty for improving his lie during the first round, an infraction he later addressed by saying, “I didn’t feel like I did anything wrong, but then at the same time I said the video didn’t look good.” What are your thoughts on the rare penalty and how Rory handled it?
Zak: It’s always safest to just accept the penalty, as we’ve learned a good bit this year. I do wonder if we’ll need some sort of new understanding about the players we hold accountable for this, since so many McIlroy shots, addresses, lies, etc. are shown on TV. Compare that to, say, Peter Malnati, who isn’t on TV much, and it starts to get hard for it all to be fair.
Melton: Golf is a game of self-policing, and outside of the very few who have all of their shots televised, enforcement of the rules are entrusted to the competitors. It was nice to see Rory accept the penalty and move on. I don’t think there was any nefarious intent.
Schrock: Golf is a game of integrity, and Rory did the right thing to take the punishment even if there wasn’t any intent, which I don’t think there was.
Lots happened in Abu Dhabi, with Rahm’s post-LIV comments, his victory, Rory’s penalty and more. What’s your biggest takeaway from the week overseas?
Zak: That this weekend could be a good preview for 2027. Would love for Rahm to play a bunch in Europe next year, in the Middle East in winter, in the links land in the summer and then continental Europe a good bit in August and September. Hell, why not South Africa in March? Same for Hatton and a few other ex-LIVers.
Melton: Golf never rests. Even during the “offseason,” there’s still tourneys, storylines and controversies. Would a little more scarcity be the worst thing in the world? I can see how fans get burned out keeping up with the sport year-round.
Schrock: This felt like the start of what’s next for pro golf. After four years of civil war and players being entrenched in their corners, Rahm looked like his old self and it felt like everyone was starting to turn the page.
Bryson DeChambeau released a statement via social media on Sunday, thanking LIV Golf staff and supporters, saying he still believes in team golf and even admitted some mistakes he made. He added he’s playing in the DP World Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa in December. What did you find most interesting about Bryson’s lengthy statement, and did any of it offer any more hints as to his playing plans for 2027?
Zak: Bryson is a stubborn cat, so this felt like a LOT from him. It felt like the strongest clue that he may be accepting his fate a bit. He gave it four years, he got a lot out of it. It is no longer. It’s time to move on. The European Tour will gladly have him.
Melton: The fact that Bryson taking accountability comes as such a shock says a lot about his reputation. It’ll be interesting to see if he keeps it up or if this is just another PR play.
Schrock: Bryson saying he was willing to take accountability and be humble to move forward was noteworthy. I’ll be interested to see what that looks like and if he can actually stomach what’s coming.
