LIV Golf star’s immediate response to ‘league collapse’ reports | Golf | Sport

Funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), LIV acted as a disruptor in the sport upon its arrival in 2022. They prised the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm away from the PGA Tour with mega-money deals. Recently, some breakaway stars have decided to return to the tour, including Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed. Now, LIV’s problems appear to be even bigger.

It has been reported that the competition’s staff have been told to gather to an ’emergency summit’ in New York, while executives in attendance at Augusta National last week are said to have gathered underneath the Big Oak Tree, where deals are often thrashed out.

For his part, Garcia could only relay what he’d been told at the start of the year. Speaking in a press conference before the event in Mexico City, the Spaniard was asked about the rumours.

“We have not heard anything… That is not what Yasir told us at the beginning of the year, that he is behind us, that they have a project of many years,” he said in a press conference.

“Then sincerely, you already know there are already many rumours and I cannot comment anything more to you than what we know.”

Despite the uncertainty, LIV announced the pairings and tee times for the opening round of action at the LIV Golf Mexico City event. Cameron Smith and Jon Rahm will kick off the action in Mexico for Ripper GC and Legion XIII respectively, with the likes of Tyrrell Hatton, DeChambeau and a host of notable names scheduled to be in action.

Amid reports of the New York meeting, none of LIV’s executives were said to be on site at Club de Golf Chapultepec. Mexcio City marks the sixth event of LIV’s fifth season.

The breakaway league underwent a revamp heading into this season and ditched the 54-hole format that its name corresponds to. That move was geared towards seeing events earn ranking points, but the Official World Golf Ranking body has only permitted those finishing inside the top-10 of sanctioned events to be eligible.

“Given that the product was so ill-conceived and ended up being worse than anyone could have imagined,'”Chamblee posted on X. “With shotgun starts, initially 54 holes, a team concept that was nothing but laughable and tournaments that meant and continue to mean nothing, and such a paltry number of viewers, losing billions along the way – would it surprise anyone if the Saudis came to their senses and finally euthanized the whole lame-brained tour.”

It is claimed that the sport’s stars will have more knowledge by mid-afternoon in Mexico.