Thirteen LIV Golf players entered the U.S. Open field at Shinnecock Hills. None of them sit inside the top 30 heading toward Sunday. The difference is clear on the leaderboard at a major championship where LIV's top players were expected to compete for the title.

NUCLR GOLF pointed this out on X and also noted another concern. Betting platform Polymarket currently gives a 63% chance that LIV Golf will announce it is shutting down sometime in 2026. 

The 63% figure had fallen by 3 percentage points recently. While prediction markets are based on what traders believe could happen and are not certain, the number shows growing worries about LIV Golf's financial future.

These concerns have been building for some time. In April, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) said it would fund LIV Golf only through the end of 2026, and a report from Front Office Sports suggested that support could end even sooner. The PIF reportedly has invested more than $6 billion in LIV Golf since 2022.

Recent company filings, first reported by the Money in Sport newsletter, show that LIV Golf is relying on loans to finish the season instead of receiving direct funding. A loan agreement filed in June names the Public Investment Fund (PIF) as the lender. But the amount of the loan has not been made public.

The financial strain has already affected LIV's calendar. The league postponed its New Orleans event this month, citing summer heat, after Louisiana had invested roughly $7 million to land the tournament and paid $3.2 million under contract. The cancellation left a 47-day gap with no LIV events scheduled.

money significantly compared to this year's $32.3 million purses.

LIV Golf has four events left on its 2026 schedule: the UK tournament, New York, Indianapolis, and the Team Championship in Michigan.

Meanwhile, LIV golfers struggled at the U.S. Open. None of the 13 entrants at Shinnecock finished inside the top 30.

LIV's top hopes came up short at Shinnecock

Jon Rahm carried the highest expectations of the group, entering as the betting favorite at +1175 after a T2 finish at the PGA Championship and a tour-leading points race on LIV. However, he missed the cut.

Bryson DeChambeau, a two-time U.S. Open champion chasing a third title, also missed the cut, extending a pattern from each of the year's first two majors.

Joaquin Niemann's week carried its own complications. He was assessed a two-stroke penalty during the first round for throwing his club on the sixth hole, ruled "serious misconduct" under Rule 1.2b, turning a 9 on the hole into an 11 and pushing his round to 8 over 78.

Niemann answered with a 5-under 65 in round two to make the cut, but he too sits outside the top 30 with one round remaining.

Read more at Club Golf!

Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Ankita Yadav