What next for LIV Golf? Timeline from big beginnings to uncertain future

LIV Golf League timeline: Key moments from breakaway circuit's history, rivalry with the PGA Tour and what happens next How has the LIV Golf League grown since its launch and what happens next for the circuit? Timeline of its breakthrough into the men's professional game and the challenges it faced over world rankings, funding changes and rivalries with other tours Tuesday 18 August 2026 11:59, UK 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. - What next for LIV Golf after PIF withdrew funding? - DeChambeau: Tour return depends if players want me - When are the majors? Key dates in 2026 - Get Sky Sports or stream golf with no contract 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... 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. LIV Golf later joined the lawsuit. After winning The Open at St Andrews and at the end of the PGA Tour season, Cameron Smith became the latest player to join LIV Golf. September 2022: Rory McIlroy likened LIV Golf to a "soap opera" and said his relationship with some of his Ryder Cup team-mates who joined LIV had been damaged. October 2022: The PGA Tour filed a federal lawsuit against Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the PIF. November 2022: McIlroy called for Norman to leave the rebel league and Tiger Woods also encouraged Norman to go in order for a peace settlement to be negotiated. December 2022: Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley confirmed eligible LIV Golfers could play at The Masters. Jon Rahm said PGA Tour players should be 'thankful' for LIV. January 2023: Patrick Reed and McIlroy were involved in the 'tee-gate' saga, where Reed flicked a 4Aces GC tee at the Northern Irishman after the American accused McIlroy of ignoring him. February 2023: The DP World Tour and LIV Golf went to court for an arbitration hearing, held over five days. April 2023: The DP World Tour won its legal battle against players who elected to join LIV Golf, enabling them to impose £100,000 ($134,706) fines against LIV players for competing in conflicting events. May 2023: Koepka became the first LIV Golfer to win a major at the PGA Championship, lifting the Wanamaker Trophy for a third time. June 2023: The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF announce a shock 'framework agreement', where the organisations ended all pending lawsuits and said they wanted to cooperate to "unify the game of golf". McIlroy hit back at the announcement, saying he felt like a "sacrificial lamb", while PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan faced calls to resign. October 2023: LIV Golf lost its initial bid to be awarded OWGR points. December 2023: Rahm, who won The Masters in April, joined LIV Golf for a deal reportedly worth up to £450m ($607.7m). January 2024: Tyrrell Hatton follows Rahm to LIV Golf for a then-reported fee of £47.3m ($60m). February 2024: Anthony Kim ended a 12-year absence from professional golf by joining the breakaway league. McIlroy softened his stance on LIV Golf, saying players who joined the rebel league should be allowed to come back to the PGA Tour. March 2024: Norman confirmed LIV Golf had withdrawn its application for OWGR points. Woods formed part of a delegation of PGA Tour members to meet with LIV Golf powerbrokers, including Al-Rumayyan, in the Bahamas, to discuss the merger. PGA Tour commissioner Monahan said the talks were "constructive". April 2024: McIlroy denied claims he was previously close to joining LIV Golf. June 2024: DeChambeau claimed a one-shot victory at the US Open, following Koepka as the second LIV player to win a major, after McIlroy's dramatic late collapse at Pinehurst No 2. September 2024: The PGA of America confirmed LIV Golfers would be eligible to play for Team USA at the Ryder Cup the following year. October 2024: Monahan and Al-Rumayyan played together at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, signalling that merger talks were progressing. January 2025: Norman was replaced as LIV Golf's CEO by Scot O'Neil. McIlroy praised Norman for "getting LIV Golf off the ground". February 2025: Woods joined Al-Rumayyan and Adam Scott for talks at the White House with US President Donald Trump regarding the ongoing merger. March 2025: Monahan said Trump's involvement in ongoing talks between golf's key stakeholders made the prospect of a reunification between the tours "very real". November 2025: Having launched a fresh bid for OWGR points in July, LIV looked to enhance its push by expanding from 54-hole events to a 72-hole format, a move which McIlroy called "peculiar". December 2025: Koepka announced he was leaving LIV Golf due to personal reasons. He then confirmed his return to the PGA Tour via the Returning Member Program, where he was subjected to certain conditions and required to make a £3.7m ($5m) donation to charity. January 2026: Reed also confirmed his departure from LIV Golf and returned to play on the DP World Tour. February 2026: LIV Golf was granted world ranking points by the OWGR, but the breakaway league's bosses criticised the allocation of ranking points LIV players could receive - only the top 10 and ties - as "unfair". The DP World Tour offered conditional releases to eight members, including Hatton, provided they paid off their outstanding fines. Rahm insisted he had "no intention" of paying his fines. March 2026: Rahm withdrew his appeal against sanctions imposed by the DP World Tour for playing in conflicting LIV Golf events. His fines were believed to be around £2.2m ($3m). He said the tour's conditional release programme was "extorting players". April 2026: The PIF confirmed it was pulling its funding of LIV at the end of 2026 but it was funded through the rest of the season. LIV released a statement saying it was looking for external investors to finance the series going forward. PGA Tour commissioner Brian Rolapp said the tour was thinking about pathways to reinstate LIV players. May 2026: Rahm agreed to pay his outstanding DP World Tour penalties and ensure he remained eligible to play at the 2027 Ryder Cup. Elsewhere, US President Trump backed LIV Players to return to the PGA Tour. DeChambeau said his future on the PGA Tour depended on whether players wanted him back, as speculation mounted over whether he would agree a new LIV Golf contract. July 2026: Rahm said he was hopeful LIV Golf could continue but was tight-lipped on what the future would hold for the league. August 2026: After much speculation, LIV Golf CEO O'Neil said the league had found a new lead investor, although was unable to provide details. The league also said players would become majority equity holders. August 2026: LIV Golf finally confirmed its season-ending Team Championship in Michigan would no longer go ahead, following weeks of speculation, seeing the 2026 campaign finish a week early in Indianapolis. 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