Midway through the 2026 season, LIV Golf is at a crossroads.
The breakaway golf tour is dealing with major financial challenges, as the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) will no longer back the league and its expensive contracts. That funding was instrumental in getting stars like Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm to leave the PGA Tour, as well as the ability to stage fewer events in international locations.
Even as rumors swirled about the tour’s future, CEO Scott O’Neil expressed public confidence that the season would go on as scheduled. Soon afterward, an announced date in Louisiana was canceled. With the PIF backing out at the end of the 2026 season, LIV essentially needs to find new investors to continue as a rival tour.
That financial reality has led to speculation about the future of LIV players. Will the PGA Tour open up a new program with penalties similar to those Brooks Koepka faced upon his return? Will some players have to earn their PGA card back, as Patrick Reed is currently trying to do?
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How it plays out for the entire roster remains to be seen, but there’s one LIV golfer who, to put it mildly, has no interest in going back to the PGA Tour regardless of what happens.
Thomas Pieters is done with PGA Tour
Thomas Pieters, a seven-time winner as a professional, predominantly on the European Tour, spoke with Dan Rappaport in a new interview for the “Dan on Golf” show about the future of LIV and how it relates to the PGA Tour. And he was adamant that his time as a PGA member is finished, no matter what happens next.
“I’m definitely never going back to the PGA Tour. I’ve never liked that life,” Pieters said. “And that’s not me having a go at the PGA Tour, it’s not for me. I tried it and I just wasn’t happy out there. If it (LIV) goes away, I’ll probably try and play some on the European Tour or I don’t know. I really don’t know.
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“I’m not too fussed about it at this point because I feel like I still have a duty to focus on these next six, seven tournaments on LIV and then we’ll see. They’re obviously trying to get it together next year. I think you know more than I do at this point, so we’ll see.”
Pieters also addressed the rumors that LIV players hadn’t been paid around the Mexico City event, saying “We got paid, or we are getting paid.”
As far as first-quarter payments, Pieters said that it might have been “a week late,” though “some got it early, some got it a week late.” He then added, humorously, “I’m not sure all these guys check their bank accounts every two seconds.”
Rappaport asked him what LIV was telling players internally about future deliberations, and somewhat surprisingly, Pieters said they aren’t getting more information than the public.
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“Not much. I think whatever comes out officially from LIV is what we’re getting half a day before it goes out. I know Scott is telling us that he’s obviously going to a broader market and trying to fund this for next year. I guess it’s a massive challenge, but we just have to wait and see.”
Pieters, refreshingly honest, also said it was “100% accurate” that he wasn’t too worried about the future of LIV because his mindset was to enjoy the bigger financial paydays while it lasted. He added that he’s eventually going to be out of the game, so he hasn’t been worried about when it does come to an end.
One of the advantages LIV had over the PGA Tour, beyond the signing bonuses and larger purses, was the reduced schedule. Instead of a weekly grind, where players are finishing on Sunday and immediately traveling to start prepping for the next tournament, events are more spread out. Several players cited that extra rest and time at home as a significant motivation for leaving. Pieters clearly appears to agree with them.
What happens with LIV and its players later this year will be the most fascinating story in the golf world. Many fans have been clamoring for both sides to be unified again. But if that happens, it sure sounds like Thomas Pieters won’t be with them.
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