LIV Golf reportedly laying groundwork for US bankruptcy if new investors aren't secured

LIV Golf is apparently working on a potential shutdown plan.

The organization has started laying the groundwork for a potential U.S. bankruptcy filing if it fails to raise new funds by the end of the season, according to Bloomberg News. If those funds aren’t secured by the end of the 2026 campaign, LIV Golf is “preparing for the league’s collapse” as a possible outcome.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is pulling funding from the startup league at the end of the 2026 campaign. The league first launched in 2022, but has undoubtedly struggled to gain traction in recent years while the PIF has poured billions into the venture. The merger-of-sorts with the PGA Tour that was announced at the height of the Tour-LIV feud never came together, either. 

LIV Golf is seeking long-term financial partners to help replace the PIF and survive after the 2026 season. According to Axios, LIV Golf is trying to raise up to $250 million from new investors. That amount could get LIV Golf to profitability within two years, per that report. 

If LIV Golf does shut down at the end of the 2026 season, it’s unclear where the league’s biggest names would land in the golf world. The PGA Tour has not said how it would welcome back golfers like Bryson DeChambeau, who was one of 11 that filed a lawsuit against the Tour back in 2022. DeChambeau has said that he could simply focus on his YouTube channel and play where he’s welcome, meaning the four major championships. 

Brooks Koepka made the jump back earlier this year after getting out of his LIV Golf deal early, though he did so on a one-time exemption that came with plenty of concessions. Patrick Reed is planning to rejoin the PGA Tour this fall, too, after one full year away from LIV Golf. 

Jon Rahm, who was in the hunt at the PGA Championship last week, was largely trying to avoid the LIV Golf questions ahead of the major championship at Aronimink. Rahm reportedly received $300 million over multiple years to join LIV Golf, but he said earlier this month that he didn’t “see many ways out” of his LIV Golf contract.

What a potential LIV Golf bankruptcy in the United States would look like or mean is uncertain. The league’s international events are largely incorporated and run through the United Kingdom, and it was initially funded by Saudi Arabia. Only four of the league’s 13 tournaments are being held in the United States this season. A fifth event, LIV Golf Louisiana, was postponed. 

But Tuesday’s report only adds to the speculation about LIV Golf’s future beyond 2026. What happens next, at least at this point, is still anybody’s guess.