LIV Golf looking like a flop amid uncertain future

If LIV Golf disappeared, would anybody in the sports world notice?

Based on the ratings and viewership for the breakaway golf tour since its inception in 2022, the answer to that question is a resounding no. 

We might soon find out that reality, as the tour is facing an uncertain future due to the Saudi-backed Public Investment Fund reportedly considering pulling its financial investment.

LIV Golf looking like a massive flop

When LIV Golf first formed four years ago, the goal was for it to be a rival competitor for the PGA tour, poaching several top stars away including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka. It quickly became apparent, however, that the tour was more hype than substance, and never really made a ripple in the golf world. 

While the PGA Tour continued to draw millions of viewers for its events, LIV typically averaged between 100,000 and 500,000 and never really gained much of an American audience. The PGA Tour continued to dominate the sport.

According to a report from the New York Times on Wednesday, high-level LIV executives are meeting in New York regarding the league's next steps should the PIF pull its billions of dollars out of the league.

A press release from the PIF on Tuesday that outlined its strategy over the next four years made no reference to LIV. 

The Athletic also reported on Wednesday that "members of the leadership team were first told on Sunday, following the Masters Tournament, that they would soon lose their positions."

While it is possible LIV could find a pathway forward without the PIF investment, it's hard to imagine it being a successful path. Even with the backing of billions of dollars, it remained irrelevant and became mostly a punchline in the golf world. Would a smaller investment and less financial backing improve that? It seems unlikely, if not impossible. 

LIV has a tournament scheduled in Mexico City this weekend, and while it still appears to be a go as of Wednesday, it cancelled press conferences and closed the media center on Tuesday. 

If LIV does end up ceasing operations, the question then becomes whether or not there is a pathway back to the PGA tour for the golfers that initially bolted for the payday. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp told former ESPN anchor Trey Wingo on Tuesday that he is in favor of anything that makes the tour stronger, but that until there is a definitive answer on what is going on with LIV, that is a bridge they will have to cross when they get to it. 

In the end, outside of an immediate payday for some of golf's biggest names, nobody really gained anything from this experience. It began with hype. It appears to be quietly ending with disappointment.