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.
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 , 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 , titled the LIV Invitational Series. The total prize pot for the eight events was set at £191.32m ($255m).
May 2022: Norman , 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: in LIV Golf's first event, won by Charl Schwartzel. The PGA Tour announcing those in the field at LIV Golf London were suspended indefinitely. and 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 .
August 2022: A group of LIV Golf later joined the lawsuit. After winning The Open at St Andrews and at the end of the PGA Tour season, .
September 2022: Rory McIlroy likened LIV Golf to a "soap opera" and
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 and Tiger Woods also in order for a peace settlement to be negotiated.
December 2022: Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley confirmed . Jon Rahm .
January 2023: Patrick Reed and McIlroy were involved in the 'tee-gate' saga, where .
February 2023: The DP World Tour and LIV Golf went to court for .
April 2023: , enabling them to impose £100,000 ($134,706) fines against LIV players for competing in conflicting events.
May 2023: Koepka became the at the PGA Championship, lifting the Wanamaker Trophy for a third time.
June 2023: , 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 , while PGA Tour commissioner .
October 2023: LIV Golf lost its initial bid to be awarded .
December 2023: Rahm, who won The Masters in April, for a deal reportedly worth up to £450m ($607.7m).
January 2024: Tyrrell Hatton for a then-reported fee of £47.3m ($60m).
February 2024: by joining the breakaway league. , saying players who joined the rebel league should be allowed to come back to the PGA Tour.
March 2024: Norman . Woods formed part of a , including Al-Rumayyan, in the Bahamas, to discuss the merger. PGA Tour commissioner Monahan said the talks were "constructive".
April 2024: McIlroy he was previously close to joining LIV Golf.
June 2024: , 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 .
October 2024: , signalling that merger talks were progressing.
January 2025: . McIlroy praised Norman for "getting LIV Golf off the ground".
February 2025: Woods joined Al-Rumayyan and Adam Scott for .
March 2025: Monahan said Trump's involvement in ongoing talks between golf's key stakeholders
November 2025: Having launched a in July, LIV looked to enhance its push by expanding from 54-hole events to a 72-hole format, a .
December 2025: He then confirmed his return to the PGA Tour via the , 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 .
February 2026: , but the breakaway league's bosses criticised the allocation of ranking points LIV players could receive - only the top 10 and ties - as "unfair".
, provided they paid off their outstanding fines. Rahm insisted he had "no intention" of paying his fines.
March 2026: Rahm 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 LIV released a statement saying it was looking for external investors to finance the series going forward. PGA Tour commissioner .
May 2026: and ensure he remained eligible to play at the 2027 Ryder Cup. Elsewhere, US President .
DeChambeau said his future on the PGA Tour , as speculation mounted over .
July 2026: Rahm said he was but was tight-lipped on what the future would hold for the league.
August 2026: After much speculation, LIV Golf CEO , although was unable to provide details. The league also said players would become majority equity holders.
August 2026: LIV Golf finally confirmed its , following weeks of speculation, seeing the 2026 campaign finish a week early in Indianapolis.
Watch the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors and more throughout the season live on Your Site Golf. or .
