Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, our writers discuss LIV Golf’s future after the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund announced it will cut funding for the rebel league after the 2026 season.

In a press release Thursday, LIV Golf announced new board members as it transitions from “a foundational launch phase to a diversified, multi-partner investment model.” Hours later, its bankroller, the Saudi PIF, released its own statement saying the “PIF has made the decision to fund LIV Golf only for the remainder of the 2026 season. The substantial investment required by LIV Golf over a longer term is no longer consistent with the current phase of PIF’s investment strategy.” Now that you’ve had a few days to digest this bombshell — and after a rollercoaster April for LIV Golf — what thought has lingered with you?

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): That for all the tumult, not much changed, aside from some players getting a whole lot richer. I suppose you could say LIV’s birth shook the Tour out of its complacency, which led to (ongoing) schedule changes and even fatter purses for already extravagantly paid golfers. Beyond that, though, what? Is there now an insatiable demand for team golf? There is not. Is professional golf itself a better product now for fans? I don’t see a ton of evidence of that. 

Josh Schrock, associate news editor (@Schrock_And_Awe): I think Sens pretty much nailed it. What will stick with me long after LIV either morphs into something else or goes away entirely is that money couldn’t buy the parts of professional golf that actually resonate with fans: the tradition, the history and the meaning of the results. Billions of dollars can do a lot, but they can’t speed up time. It takes decades for sports leagues to resonate with fans and to develop a connection. LIV Golf was never going to be able to achieve that goal in a short time frame. As our Michael Bamberger wrote, LIV Golf changed the PGA Tour, but not for the better. And I feel like a reckoning is coming now that the Tour’s great opponent is teetering. 

James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): Good points, gents. My lingering thought was this: We never heard the “don” of LIV Golf, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, say a single word. However golf history remembers LIV’s most powerful Saudi benefactor, it will NOT remember him for saying a single word about the sport. “His Excellency” left golf as he entered it: Without a peep.

At Trump Doral for this week’s Cadillac Championship, several players were asked if LIV members should be welcomed back to the PGA Tour, and what types of penalties they should face. If you werePGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, how would you handle players’ reintegration? Is it different for everyone? Would you not allow certain players at all?

Sens: Open a pathway for guys to play their way back on, with a point system that has some kind of reward for past performance. So that maybe the likes of Bryson and Rahm and Smith can compete in regular Tour events but not elevated events, which they’d still have to play their way into. The less relevant LIV guys would probably just retire rather than face that grind. And the younger guys would be left to try to earn their cards, which is what they’d probably be doing anyway. 

Schrock: It’s going to have to be a case-by-case basis. As Rolapp and Jordan Spieth have noted, the PGA Tour extended an offer to Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith earlier this year and it wasn’t accepted. The next deal shouldn’t be as forgiving. Both Spieth and Rolapp also subtly mentioned the lawsuit that DeChambeau was a key plaintiff in after LIV launched in 2022. That’s a lawsuit that PGA Tour players had to pay to defend, and the road back for those who signed on to sue the Tour should be harsher than those who went to LIV quietly, like Brooks Koepka, and didn’t rock the boat. Rahm will be the interesting case. His exodus came at a time when LIV was floundering, and it gave the rebel league juice and calcified the two sides’ stances in golf’s civil conflict. That rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. I’m not sure there’s an easy way to bring either of the big names back without upsetting a big portion of Tour membership, but the Tour would certainly benefit economically from reintegrating them quickly. As for the rest of LIV’s roster, some who resigned their membership, like Patrick Reed, can try to play their way back via the DP World Tour or KFT. Many will disappear with their millions and not even knock on the door at the global home. In all honesty, we’re probably talking about 15-20 players in total that decisions need to be made on.

Colgan: I’d give Bryson a path back. His presence would single-handedly change the PGA Tour’s economics, and he’s probably the only LIV player for whom that is true (Jon Rahm probably deserves consideration here as well). Everyone else would be subject to a lengthy (and expensive) return process through the Tour’s strategic partners at the DP World Tour and the KFT, or a short-term retirement.

Even if LIV Golf receives alternative funding, with the substantial PIF coffers no longer available, does this end any sort of competition that was remaining with the PGA Tour?

Sens: I think so. If LIV taught us anything, it’s that the world does not need more professional golf. At least not for the money these guys think they deserve to be making. Ironically, the Tour’s real competition for eyeballs these days doesn’t come from LIV. It comes from a bunch of YouTube bros producing their own content. 

Schrock: Yes. Without the $30 million purses and signing bonuses, LIV will cease to be any sort of threat to the PGA Tour. It sounds like it’s close to a wrap, barring an unforeseen bailout.

Colgan: No fat lady is singing. Yet. But it sounds like she’s warming up. 

What’s the best-case scenario for LIV Golf going forward?

Sens: Maybe pivot to crypto?

Schrock: Try to merge with the DP World Tour. LIV can slink along with limited funds, but there will almost certainly be a talent exodus once the money dries up.

Colgan: I think there’s a vision that could exist with significantly smaller purses at LIV’s previously successful golf-crazy venues (Korea, Australia, South Africa). The problem LIV is going to run into is that every sports league needs significant TV revenue to survive, and they’re not anywhere close to that right now.

Sunday’s golf slate featured two blowouts, as Nelly Korda won by four in Mexico and Cameron Young won by six in Florida. Both have had fantastic starts to 2026, but which one are you taking as most likely to continue this success through the summer?

Sens: I think they’ll both keep rolling, but Young’s summer is going to stand out just a bit more boldly when he wins his first major at Shinnecock.

Schrock: It’s Korda for multiple reasons. The first is that she’s the unquestioned best player on her tour. Young has been fantastic but has to deal with Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and the blistering hot Matt Fitzpatrick. Korda changed her mentality after a winless 2025 and has been relentless to start this season. The only thing that can hold her back is a balky putter, but her new putting coach seems to have at least made that a net neutral. I expect her to win at least one more major this year and wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a three-major 2026 for Nelly.

Colgan: Cam! He’s a no-doubt top-5 player in the world right now, and a maiden voyage PGA Championship at Philly looms.

My heart remains at Riviera Country Club, but my body is in a middle seat en route home. What better time to reflect on the PGA Tour’s West Coast Swing — the good, the bad, the rumored, the mysterious.

Here are some winners, losers and questions from the opening stretch of the 2026 PGA Tour season.

WINNER: The 26-year-olds

Chris Gotterup won two of the first four events on this year’s calendar (given unusual circumstances, we’re treating the Sony as a half member of this year’s West Coast Swing), playing his best when things got most chaotic at the WM Phoenix Open and establishing himself as a fan favorite, a proven winner and arguably the best player on Tour 26 years old or below.

His current competition for that extremely unofficial title includes the guy who just won at Riviera; Jacob Bridgeman, like Gotterup, is 26. And while Gotterup took the weekend off (he missed the Genesis cut) Bridgeman beat everyone’s doors off for three days and hung on on Sunday to establish that he, too, has what it takes.

LOSER: Hawaii x PGA Tour

Is the PGA Tour headed back to Hawaii? Next year? Ever? It skipped Kapalua this year under controversial circumstances. Its Sony sponsorship just ran out. As the powers that be continue to reimagine the Tour’s optimal schedule, Hawaii remains a logistical challenge lacking a “big market.” How highly will Rolapp and Co. value continuity, tradition and nostalgia? We’ll see.

QUESTION: Where are the 25-year-olds?

Speaking of age, it’s jarring to browse whichever version of the world rankings you’d prefer and marvel at the lack of young stars. The 26-year-olds may be having a moment, but we’re still waiting for the emergence of the next young wave. There’s no reason to despair: Akshay Bhatia (24), the Hojgaard twins (also 24) and the Michaels (Brennan and Thorbjornsen, each 24) could all be on the brink of a breakthrough. But with Tom Kim in a bit of a rut, it feels like we’re searching for Who’s Next. (Shoutout also to Blades Brown, who stole the show for much of the week in Palm Springs.)

WINNER: The 45-year-olds

OK, I promise this whole list won’t be about age. In fact, lemme start with some hypocrisy: I wish when we talk about Justin Rose and Adam Scott that we’d focus less on their age. But it’s a useful way to pair two particularly impressive West Coast showings; Rose’s blowout win at Torrey Pines is worth extra points, of course, but Scott’s Sunday 63 to finish fourth at Riviera was nothing to scoff at, either. These guys are remarkably similar ages, they’ve had remarkably similar careers and they’re performing at remarkably similar levels at the moment. Let’s get ’em on a remarkable leaderboard at the Masters.

LOSER: The Scandinavians

While athletes from Norway and Sweden were dominating the Winter Olympics, their PGA Tour counterparts were having a slightly tougher time on the West Coast. Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg are among the Tour’s biggest talents and fan favorites — but neither has had his best thus far this year.

Hovland had a strong start at the WM Phoenix Open (T10) but less so at Pebble Beach (T58) and Riviera (T41), where talk turned more to his training aids than his scores.

And Aberg got severely ill for a second consecutive West Coast Swing — though if there’s good news, it’s that he seems to be trending up. Going WD-MC-T37-T20 means I guess he’s headed for a Masters victory?

(In other Scandinavian news, Alex Noren went MC-MC in Palm Springs and San Diego, but his T12 at Riviera was encouraging, too. And representing Denmark, the Hojgaard twins have each showed encouraging signs; Nicolai finished T3 at the WM and was one blowup hole from contending to win.)

QUESTION: Will Tiger Woods play the Masters?

Tiger Woods hinted that he’ll try. Then he hinted that he’ll try a second time. I don’t know if he will, but I think he’s told us the truth — if he can, he’ll do it.

LOSER: Scottie Scheffler’s Thursdays

Scottie Scheffler’s first Thursday of the season was a 63 at the American Express. So it’s particularly jarring that he’s just No. 116 on Tour in Round 1 Scoring Average. And it was strange to see him in last place when play was halted this past Thursday. Still …

WINNER: Scottie Scheffler’s other days

Considering he was in last place on Friday morning and needed to make a seven-foot curler on 18 just to stay inside the cut line, Scheffler’s T12 was another remarkable display of skill and determination. Sure, it snapped his streak of 18 consecutive Tour top-10s. But it only reinforced the idea that if you play enough rounds of golf, eventually Scheffler will rise to the top. Four tournaments in, here’s how his scoring average looks by round:

Round 1: 70.50 (116th)

Round 2: 65.75 (2nd)

Round 3: 67.00 (7th)

Round 4: 64.50 (2nd)

(If you were wondering who could possibly beat that 64.5, Will Zalatoris has played one fourth round this year and shot 64.)

QUESTION: So what the heck is going on with Scheffler on Thursdays?

My best guess is still some version of “nothing, really; this has just been a weird blip on the radar.” He led the Tour in first-round scoring last year, after all, and has had some funky starts in strange conditions. Let’s wait for a bigger sample size before we get panicky here.

WINNER: California kids

I’m thinking of two in particular: Collin Morikawa, who won for the first time in too long at Pebble Beach, and Jake Knapp, who just quietly put together the best stretch of golf of his life. Knapp hasn’t finished worse than T11 in five starts this year. Morikawa’s win was meaningful on several levels — because of how long it had been, because of where it took place, because of everything that went into it, because he and his wife have a baby on the way. It’s good to see West Coast kids eat up the West Coast Swing. And then of course there was another California sensation in the winner’s circle …

LOSER: Anthony Kim’s haters and doubters

I write this tongue in cheek; I think Anthony Kim‘s win showed just how many people have been on his side this entire time, rooting for something special. But he’s used a chip on his shoulder to get this far, and his shot at the haters showed he’ll keep drawing on that. Mostly it’s worth acknowledging that one of golf’s biggest moments this month happened on LIV Golf, with a one-of-a-kind comeback story capped off with an electric finish to a story a dozen years in the making.

QUESTION: What’s next for Jon Rahm, LIV and the DP World Tour?

Big picture, this is one of pro golf’s most compelling questions moving forward; LIV and the DP World Tour still seem in an uneasy coexistence and I’m curious how that will resolve. For now the DPWT has reached a temporary truce with several of its LIV members, allowing them to play both circuits and maintain Ryder Cup eligibility. But why isn’t Jon Rahm one of the players taking that deal, and is there any chance in the world he doesn’t play on next year’s European Ryder Cup team?

WINNER: CBS golf coverage

These courses look awesome in person, they look incredible on television and CBS continues to innovate in order to dial in their coverage.

CBS is done until Augusta.

So they’ll go Pebble-Riviera-Augusta-Hilton Head. Might be the last time it happens.

Not sure there’s a more visually appealing stretch in golf for a network pic.twitter.com/s1RJG9fB97

— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) February 23, 2026

Also, the little stuff continues to go a long way.

With Justin Rose up 6, shoutout to CBS going into commercial with ‘Ramble on Rose’ by the Grateful Dead. Good stuff on a few levels. The little things go a long way

— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) February 1, 2026

LOSER: Soggy conditions

There’s been plenty of discussion about moving these marquee West Coast stops to later in the PGA Tour schedule. A cold, soggy Pebble Beach followed by a cold, soggy Riviera made that case much more appealing, with fans shivering on the rope lines and golf balls plugging in greens. Two perfect weekend days capped the Genesis off in style, and wet and windy can be entertaining at Pebble, but each was still missing some of the firm, fast character it has at its best.

QUESTION: So are we doing the August West Coast thing?

I leave California more confused than I arrived. On paper it seems smart to have the best courses in the biggest spots on the PGA Tour calendar; what could be cooler than Pebble and Riviera as playoff venues? But there are issues with both sites that time of year. Pebble has a car show and a full tee sheet and it’s not near enough of a population center to draw a playoff-worthy crowd. In L.A., locals suggested that the golf-going crowd would be out of town in August and that its current spot on the calendar is actually optimal for getting people to actually attend.

If I was in charge, my top priority would be to remove the playoff events from the hellish August humidity of Atlanta and Memphis. I don’t need them in California, though — Boston, Chicago and Seattle are calling, as are a dozen other medium-to-large cities with ideal summer days. I’m curious where they’ll land, though.

And what the West Coast Swing will look like next year, and the year after that, and when we’ll be gazing at golf’s glorious coastlines again.

We’ll see you in Florida.