When LIV Golf debuted in 2022, it shook the golf world. Overnight, it had pulled off a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, offering enormous guaranteed contracts, and promised a whole new reality for professionals. Fast forward to 2026, and the scene is still tense, in transition, and a whole lot uncertain. Fans, players, and insiders all want to know the one thing on everyone’s lips: where is golf at right now, anyway?
Birth of a Bitter Rivalry
The whole thing started with a fight – not a friendly competition, but out-and-out nastiness. LIV Golf came in and stole well-known names like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Jon Rahm away from the PGA TOUR with a significant sum of money. And rightly or wrongly, that made the PGA TOUR go on the defensive and make life hard for LIV players on its courses. That led to some lawsuits going back and forth between the two.
There was then talk of a potential merger that could bring the whole sport together. But that was a whole lot easier said than done, and the whole thing ended up being slower and messier than most people expected. The upshot was this – a framework deal between Saudi PIF and PGA TOUR Enterprises was announced a couple of years ago, but it hasn’t changed that much for golfers who are still pretty divided.
2026 – Still Two Sides, Still Loads of Drama
As both circuits look to get underway for 2026, professional golf is still looking pretty split in lots of key areas:
Players: Where Have They Gone?
Earlier in January, Brooks Koepka made the headlines by announcing his return to the PGA TOUR under the new ‘Returning Member Program.’ This is a new initiative introduced by the PGA TOUR that lets golfers who jumped ship to LIV Golf come back if they’ve won a major recently. But it cost Koepka a pretty penny, and there were strings attached.
Then there’s Rory McIlroy, a key voice on the PGA TOUR who’s not a fan of LIV and BELIEVES they’re struggling to sign top players lately. And given that Brooks Koepka decided to leave the party, he argues it’s got to be a big blow for them.
On the other hand, Frenchman Victor Perez just joined LIV, citing that they offer a more stable option. He noted that he was frustrated with the PGA TOUR’s rule changes. And out of the blue, rising star Michael La Sasso decided to forgo key top opportunities just to play for LIV, noting that they’ve got a team format that really appealed to him.
All this shows that not all golfers are singing from the same hymn sheet; they’re making choices that suit their lives, goals, and bank accounts. It’s not all about LIV or the PGA TOUR anymore.