LIV Golf has been thrown into fresh turmoil after reports emerged that a significant number of staff and contractors have been told their employment will be terminated in early September.
According to Flushing It Golf, emails sent on Monday informed recipients they had been given 30 days' notice, with their employment set to end next month. The notices were issued just days before LIV Golf's event at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, which begins on August 6.
The exact scale of the workforce reductions has not been disclosed, but the report said the notices were sent to a significant number of staff and contractors across the organisation. LIV Golf, which has more than 300 employees worldwide with offices in New York and London, has not publicly commented on the reported layoffs.
The Saudi Money Has Run Out
The reported terminations are the latest sign of the financial crisis engulfing the breakaway league. In April, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) confirmed it would end its funding of LIV Golf at the conclusion of the 2026 season.
“PIF has made the decision to fund LIV Golf only for the remainder of the 2026 season,” a PIF spokesperson said in April. “The substantial investment required by LIV Golf over a longer term is no longer consistent with the current phase of PIF's investment strategy. This decision has been made in light of PIF's investment priorities and current macro dynamics.”
Since its launch in 2022, the PIF has invested more than $5 billion in LIV Golf, funding lucrative guaranteed contracts for players and multimillion-dollar tournament purses. But the league has struggled to generate sustainable revenue, and the Saudi fund has decided to cut its losses.
Bankruptcy on the Table
The staff terminations come amid growing speculation that LIV Golf could file for bankruptcy in the coming weeks. Flushing It Golf reported last week that multiple LIV insiders expect the company to file for bankruptcy as part of a restructuring process aimed at addressing its debt burden.
The report claimed the move would be used to reorganise contracts and reshape the business rather than signal the end of the league. Players with outstanding contract payments have reportedly been approached with equity offers in a proposed “LIV Golf 2.0” — a scaled-down version of the league that would exchange some future guaranteed payments for ownership stakes.
Forbes reported on July 31 that CEO Scott O'Neil is close to completing a deal worth between $250 million and $350 million that would support the league through at least 2027 and fund the creation of “LIV 2.0.” However, the league has not confirmed any investment deal, and bankruptcy remains an option to restructure its debt.
What About the Players?
The uncertainty extends to LIV's playing roster. Bryson DeChambeau's contract expires at the end of the 2026 season, while Jon Rahm is under contract until 2029. Other stars including Tyrrell Hatton and Cameron Smith also have multi-year deals.
In April, reports suggested that PIF might invoke force majeure clauses in player contracts — citing the Iran war as an unforeseen event — to void agreements without paying remaining guarantees. That scenario has not materialised, but the threat of contract terminations hangs over every player on the roster.
DeChambeau has been negotiating a new contract with LIV, reportedly seeking a fee of around $500 million to stay. But with the league's financial future in doubt, those negotiations have stalled.
“The contract we signed is voided if they put together a smaller schedule for less money,” DeChambeau said in June, acknowledging the uncertainty.
The Season Goes On — For Now
Despite the turmoil, LIV Golf insists the 2026 season will be completed. CEO Scott O'Neil told staff in April that the season would continue “exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.”
But even that assurance has been tested. The league scrapped its New Orleans event in June and is widely expected to cancel the season-ending Team Championship in Michigan, scheduled for August 27-30. Two-time major champion Martin Kaymer has said he understands the Michigan event has just a 5% chance of going ahead.
That would leave just two events remaining: LIV Golf New York at Trump National Bedminster (August 6-9) and LIV Golf Indianapolis at The Club at Chatham Hills (August 20-23).
A player meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at Bedminster, where league leadership is expected to address players about its future plans. It remains unclear whether the workforce reductions or bankruptcy speculation will be discussed.
The Legal Battles Pile Up
LIV Golf is also facing mounting legal challenges. In July, Mobii Systems Group Ltd., a Canadian technology company, sued the league for more than $1 million over unpaid invoices and lost revenue. The lawsuit claims LIV Golf breached its two-year contract by terminating Mobii's “Any Shot, Any Time” broadcast technology with six events remaining in the 2026 season.
Mobii served LIV Golf with a notice of termination of agreement on May 25, the same day the league informed the company it would no longer use its technology.
Earlier in July, World Golf Group and Premier Golf League sued LIV Golf and the PIF, alleging they stole the idea for a new golf league.
What Happens Next?
The immediate future of LIV Golf depends on whether O'Neil can secure new investment before the end of the season. The New York Post reported last week that the league was on the brink of securing a $250 million investment, but no deal has been confirmed.
If investment materialises, LIV Golf could continue in a scaled-down form — possibly as a 10-event schedule with reduced purses and player equity stakes. If it doesn't, bankruptcy appears increasingly likely.
For the players, the path back to the PGA Tour is complicated. Former PGA Tour members who joined LIV face a minimum one-year ban from the Tour, beginning from the date of their last LIV event. Since most are still playing this season, that clock doesn't start until the circuit officially shuts down — meaning the earliest any can return is sometime in 2027 at best.
Some players, including DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith, have expressed a desire to remain with LIV if it survives. Others, like Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, have already returned to the PGA Tour.
The Bigger Picture
LIV Golf's collapse would mark the end of one of the most disruptive chapters in golf history. The league spent more than $5 billion trying to crack the sport, luring major champions away from the PGA Tour with guaranteed money and a team-based format.
But after four years, the experiment appears to have failed. The PGA Tour remains the dominant force in professional golf, and LIV's legacy may ultimately be measured by the changes it forced upon the established order — increased purses, elevated events, and a more player-friendly schedule — rather than by its own survival.
For the staff who received termination notices this week, the human cost of that failure is now becoming clear.