The LIV Golf League is ending the 2026 season with its long-term future unclear, having been a dominant discussion point during a turbulent few years for men’s professional golf. Its arrival earlier in the decade sparked division and debate in a fractured men's game, with players leaving the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to join the breakaway circuit. A shock framework agreement between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) was unable to unify men's golf, with LIV Golf facing fresh challenges to retain its place in the sport.
From its initial inception and increasing growth through to players leaving and cuts in funding, we look at the timeline of LIV Golf's history so far... Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player October 2021: LIV Golf Investments was officially announced and two-time Open champion Greg Norman revealed as the league's founding CEO. February 2022: In an interview with Golf Digest, Phil Mickelson criticised the PGA Tour's policy on player media rights.
He said: "It was the tour's obnoxious greed that has really opened the door for opportunities elsewhere." He later told journalist Alan Shipnuck that the Saudis were "scary m************ to be involved with". March 2022: LIV Golf announced it would launch an eight-tournament schedule on June 9, titled the LIV Invitational Series. The total prize pot for the eight events was set at £191.32m ($255m).
May 2022: Norman branded the PGA Tour "anti-competitive", after the US circuit denied players their release requests to play in LIV Golf events. Former Masters champions Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia were revealed among the first group of players to tee up at LIV's inaugural event in London. June 2022: Mickelson confirmed he would play in LIV Golf's first event, won by Charl Schwartzel.
The PGA Tour sent a letter to its members announcing those in the field at LIV Golf London were suspended indefinitely. Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka both joined the breakaway league ahead of its second event. July 2022: The DP World Tour issued fines of £100,000 ($133,921) to LIV players who featured in LIV Golf London.
Meanwhile, LIV Golf submitted an application for its players to be given Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. July 2022: Henrik Stenson sent shockwaves through the golfing world by joining LIV Golf and was subsequently stripped of his role as Team Europe's captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy. August 2022: A group of 11 LIV Golf players, including Mickelson, Ian Poulter and Johnson, filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour.
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