It’s been a crazy week in the world of golf. PIF announced it would be pulling funding for LIV Golf at the end of the year, and there’s an internal scramble to keep it going, but everyone knows that the fat lady has already sung. Golf writers from many different publications have weighed in, and some of the articles are absolute scorchers.

Egotist Jon Rahm must shut up, pay up and play

According to James Corrigan of The Telegraph, Jon Rahm’s next move is pretty simple: stop complaining, pay the fines, and play.

Corrigan’s larger point is that Rahm deserves no sympathy here. He took LIV’s money, knew there would be consequences, and now his short-term future depends on whether he’s willing to pay what he owes to keep playing where he wants to play. But the long-term stakes may be even bigger. If Rahm handles this poorly, there’s a real chance his career is remembered less for the titles he won and more for the insane amount of money he chose to prioritize.

Highlight Quote: “Shut up, pay up and play.”

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As LIV flames out, let’s not forget those who were eager to sell golf to the Saudis

According to Eamon Lynch of Golfweek, LIV’s mess is not just on the players who took the checks. It’s also on the agents, executives, power brokers, toadies, and bootlickers around the game who were more than happy to help sell golf to the Saudis when the money was flowing.

Lynch takes aim at golf’s elite in this piece, and while he unfortunately stops short of naming names – so only golf insiders know exactly who he’s referring to – the message is pretty clear: a lot of people were willing to look the other way, cash the checks, and act like this was all just “growing the game.” Now that LIV appears to be running out of runway, none of them should get to quietly rewrite history.

Highlight Quote: “Like the guaranteed fees paid to players — Bryson DeChambeau expects his thirst to be slaked with a new contract soon — and $30 million purses for guys who couldn’t be identified as pro golfers in a two-man line-up if the other option was a corpse.”

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For LIV Golfers, the party is over

According to Michael Rosenberg of Sports Illustrated, LIV’s biggest problem may not be that the Saudi money is going away – it’s that the league might keep existing without it. Rosenberg argues that LIV’s entire model was built on endless cash, not actual business fundamentals. Now, with PIF pulling back and a new board trying to salvage whatever is left, the players may find themselves stuck in the worst possible version of LIV: less money, fewer options, and a league still trying to hold them to contracts. In other words, the fun part is over. The lawyers are up next.

Highlight Quote: “If O’Neil believes what he told employees, he is delusional. If he doesn’t believe it, he is a charlatan. Either way, he has the credibility of an 18-handicapper who says he will win next year’s Masters.”

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Can LIV Golf work without the Saudi billions? Sports investors predict a ‘free fall’

According to Gabby Herzig of The Athletic, LIV’s next challenge is pretty simple: find someone else willing to pay for the most expensive golf experiment in history. With Saudi PIF reportedly out after 2026, LIV is trying to sell private investors on the idea that there’s still a real business here. The problem, of course, is that the league has never really proven it can generate the kind of revenue needed to support massive contracts, huge purses, and a global schedule. So the question becomes: is anyone really interested in LIV without the blank check?

Highlight Quote: “The math is never going to work.”

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According to Andrew Beaton of The Wall Street Journal, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is expected to stop funding LIV Golf after this season – a potential death blow to the league that spent billions trying to “disrupt” professional golf.

Notably, Yasir Al-Rumayan, the governor of the Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), has stepped down from his role as chairman of the league’s board.

This was his baby, and the move feels like a pretty good sign that things at LIV are coming to an end.

LIV, naturally, is framing things a little differently.

In its official statement, the league said it is moving from a “foundational launch phase” into a “diversified, multi-partner investment model,” with a new independent board led by Gene Davis and Jon Zinman.

Corporate Mumbo Jumbo Translation: LIV says it is not dead – it is looking for new money.

The problem is that new money may be hard to find at anything close to the scale LIV has been operating on. Huge player contracts, massive purses, and global events do not come cheap, and the league has been almost entirely powered by Saudi backing since launch.

So, reading between the lines on their bulls*t, corporate press release – they will be attempting to carry around LIV’s corpse, Weekend At Bernie’s style, while they try to convince the next investor that this thing is alive, despite having no pulse.

However, moments of desperation often lead to opportunity, and wow, what an opportunity the LIV stars have right now.

Now Bryson, Jon Rahm, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood have a chance to put their money where their mouths have been for the last few years.

If LIV was always about growing the game, building a global tour, and bringing golf to new markets, then surely they’ll be happy to keep doing exactly that for a lot less money.

After all, these guys have spent years positioning themselves as golf missionaries — traveling from country to country to spread the game they love. So why wouldn’t they continue the mission if the checks get smaller?

It was always about the golf, never the money.

Right?

Of course, not every LIV player will be so virtuous; there will be some who try to jump ship.

There have already been reports of players contacting the DP World Tour for an opportunity, but LIV players may not have an easy path back to the PGA Tour.

Patrick Reed took the smartest path back, and Brooks Koepka already returned through a one-time program that came with a major financial penalty, but the Tour has made it clear that won’t necessarily be the blueprint for everyone else.

“There were rules, and they were broken,” PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp said before the PIF news on Wednesday. “With rules comes accountability.”

What will that accountability look like?

No one knows, but just like an irreverent 80’s comedy movie, it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

 

A mix of innovation, uncertainty, rebuilding, leadership decisions, and a reminder that the basics still win.

→ Old guy, new clubs
Justin Rose has played well this year, but now he’s taking a gamble – he’s the first pro to game McLaren’s new clubs. Will the risk be worth the reward?

→ LIV Golf players facing uncertain future
As uncertainty surrounds LIV Golf, players have been quietly putting feelers out there to figure out what their future might look like. Never a great sign.

→ Oakland Hills opens new clubhouse four years after fire
Oakland Hills Country Club is back. New clubhouse, fresh start, one of the game’s great venues back in business.

→ Why Jim Furyk was the only real option for U.S. Ryder Cup captain
Jim Furyk is a good pick. Not flashy, but experienced, respected, and about as steady as it gets. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

→ Si Woo Kim hit 71.75% of fairways – here’s what you can learn
Si Woo Kim keeps it simple – hit fairways, avoid mistakes, repeat. Not revolutionary, but it’ll probably help your game more than whatever swing thought you’re working on right now.

I won’t lie, I’m pretty excited for this one.

First off, Trump National Doral Golf Club – aka The Blue Monster – can be an absolute brute. It stretches over 7,700 yards, and those closing, water-lined holes are one of the toughest finishing stretches we see anywhere in pro golf.

Tiger Woods once put it plainly, talking about the 18th:

“It’s one of the toughest par 4s you’ll ever play if it’s into the wind.”

Good news if you like carnage – wind might be a factor on Saturday, with gusts up to 20mph. Unfortunately, it may thunderstorm on Sunday, but it’s Florida so that could change by the time you’re reading this.

Additionally, there’s some real history here.

The Blue Monster has crowned winners like Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd, Nick Faldo, Ben Crenshaw, and of course, Tiger Woods. Always nice when a course brings a little pedigree with it.

It’s a Signature Event, so a strong field is expected, but this one will be missing a few stars; Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Åberg, Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Cantlay are all sitting it out.

In fairness, it makes sense. The schedule right now is a bit of a gauntlet – Signature Event (Cadillac), Signature Event (Truist), then straight into a major at the PGA Championship. Not exactly a light stretch, and this week is clearly where some guys are choosing to take a breather.

Someone at the PGA TOUR should do a better job with the schedule.

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There’s a growing sense of uneasiness among LIV Golf players – and it’s not about their swings.

According to this report by Ben Parsons at Today’s Golfer, several LIV players are starting to realize that the long-term picture might not be as clear (or guaranteed) as it once seemed. Early deals came with massive upfront money, but as contracts begin to approach their expiration dates, questions are starting to surface.

The big one: what happens next?

Some players reportedly assumed renewals or ongoing opportunities would be automatic. Now, there’s growing awareness that future deals could be more performance-based – or not come at all. That’s a pretty stark shift from the “guaranteed money forever” narrative that helped launch the league.

There’s also the broader issue of LIV’s place in the golf ecosystem. With ongoing negotiations involving the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Saudi backers, the future structure of pro golf is still very much in flux. Until that gets sorted, LIV players are stuck in a bit of a holding pattern.

For now, the money’s still good. But for the first time, it sounds like some LIV guys are starting to think about what happens when it isn’t.

Justin Rose has a new bag, and it’s not just a logo swap.

The 45-year-old Englishman has officially signed with McLaren Golf, becoming the brand’s first-ever ambassador after quietly working with them behind the scenes for the past two years.

This isn’t your typical “here’s a check, throw the hat on” deal. Rose has been involved in the development process – testing, tweaking, and helping shape what McLaren believes is a performance-driven entry into the golf equipment space. Now, it’s go time.

He’ll put the new sticks in play starting this week in Miami.

And look, anytime a brand with McLaren’s DNA – speed, precision, engineering – steps into golf, it’s at least worth paying attention. Whether that translates to actual gains on the course is a different story, but if anyone’s going to stress-test new gear under real pressure, it’s a guy like Rose, who’s somehow still striping it at 45.

Remember last week when we said Matt Fitzpatrick has serious stones?

Yeah – he doubled down.

This time, with his brother’s PGA Tour future hanging in the balance.

What Happened?

The Fitzpatricks blew a four-shot lead on the back nine. It looked like the tournament was slipping. Then, like we’ve seen before, Matt stepped up when it mattered most.

Final hole. Same script.

Last week it was a four-iron. This week, a wedge – and somehow, it might’ve been even better.

A 35-yard bunker shot, under max pressure, that he clipped clean and spun to tap-in range. 

His brother Alex got to be the one to do the tapping – knocking it in to seal the victory.

They finished at a tournament-record 31-under.

And for Alex, it’s career-changing stuff – a two-year exemption on Tour, plus tee times locked in at the 2027 PGA Championship, The 2027 Players Championship, and the remaining signature events this season, including the Cadillac Championship and Truist Championship.

What About Everybody Else?

Behind them, the teams of Alex Smalley / Hayden Springer and Kristoffer Reitan / Kris Ventura finished one back (-30) in a tie for second.

But this one wasn’t about the leaderboard.

It was about two brothers helping each other turn a dream into reality.

What’s Next?

This week, the PGA TOUR heads to Miami for the Cadillac Championship at Trump Doral.

A mix of dominance, innovation, controversy, and what’s coming next. One player is back on top of the world, another story dives into how far equipment testing can go, one decision splits fans, one lays out the future of a major, and another follows a player looking for redemption on one of golf’s toughest stages.

→ Nelly Korda Wins Chevron Championship to Reclaim World No. 1
Nelly Korda is back where she belongs – and she didn’t sneak up on anyone getting there. This win wasn’t just another trophy, it was a statement that the consistency, the adjustments, and the dominance we’ve been watching are very real. Reaching No. 1 again feels less like a comeback and more like a correction.

→ Can a Golf Ball ‘Private Club’ Work? Inside the Underground
Golf Magazine’s Johnny Wunder caught up with the minds behind the movement: Hollywood icon and certified stick Mark Wahlberg, industry veteran Garry Singer and retail titan/philanthropist Doug Meijer. They aren’t just trying to sell you a golf ball; they’re trying to change the way you think about what’s in your bag…and how you get it.

→ ‘Bad sport’: Rory McIlroy’s Decision to Skip Cadillac Championship Leads to Mixed Reactions
Rory McIlroy made a call, and not everyone is happy about it. Skipping events always comes with opinions, but this one hit a nerve. Some see it as a smart scheduling move, others as a lack of commitment. Either way, it shows how nothing can happen in professional golf without it turning into a debate.

→ PGA Championship Future Sites: List of Venues and Courses for Men’s Second Major
The roadmap for one of golf’s biggest events is starting to take shape. Future venues give a glimpse into how the PGA Championship wants to position itself – a mix of classic tests and modern setups that can challenge the best players in the world. It’s not just about where they’re playing, but what kind of golf they want to showcase.

→ Sam Burns Is Ready for Redemption at the U.S. Open
Sam Burns knows how quickly things can turn at a major. This is about getting another shot, learning from what didn’t go right, and stepping back into the spotlight with something to prove. The U.S. Open doesn’t hand anything out, which makes a redemption story like this one worth watching.