Australian Lucas Herbert claimed victory at LIV Golf Virginia. Can this upstart circuit truly captivate golf fans now?
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POTOMAC FALLS, Va. — This is the kind of narrative LIV Golf dreams of: “On a mostly pleasant Sunday afternoon, Australian Lucas Herbert carded a nervy 69 to hold off Spain’s Sergio Garcia and American star Bryson DeChambeau, winning LIV Golf Virginia at Trump National Golf Club. Meanwhile, Anthony Kim—LIV’s inspiring comeback story—fired a 62 with 10 birdies, then parred the first playoff hole to give 4Aces GC the team title.”
A LIV event has never been covered that way. And it likely never will be.
This is a spectacle with a competitive element woven in—nothing more. That doesn’t mean the players aren’t fired up, or that the fans in attendance don’t have a good time. It just means the key questions about LIV are no longer “Who won this week?” or “Did you see the team playoff?” They’ve become existential, maybe more than ever.
It’s old news by now: The Saudi Public Investment Fund, which has bankrolled LIV throughout its entire four-year existence, is turning off the spigot. This demands something from LIV that hasn’t been asked before: The product must stand on its own merits, because that’s the only way new investors will be attracted. PIF could make a binary decision to fund the league or not. Anyone bringing in fresh money will want clear answers about why the league operates the way it does, and what investors stand to gain.
Why a shotgun start? Why blast music while players tee off? Why offer purses as high as $30 million? Why limit the field size?
There may be legitimate answers to each. But the inquiries carry more weight now, because there’s no guarantee a 2027 season exists.
“I think we’re in a pretty good spot,” said veteran Dustin Johnson, captain of 4Aces. “I mean, just look at our events. Look at the players we got.”
Start there, and ask: Which LIV players would the PGA Tour—or any other elite tour—consider assets worth bringing back if LIV dissolved?
Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm are obvious needle-movers. Tyrrell Hatton brings personality and skill. Anthony Kim offers a redemption story. Joaquin Niemann is young and rising. Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson? They’re on the wrong side of 40. It’s a fun challenge.
But this isn’t LIV’s obituary. Not yet, anyway.
“I’m confident in the people running the show that we will continue on,” Johnson said. “I think all the guys, we really love being out here, and it’s very enjoyable. We love competing against each other, and we’re only getting better.”
On Sunday, LIV CEO Scott O’Neil greeted tournament leaders at the first tee, wearing a red baseball cap with white letters reading “Make LIV Great Again.” Behind him, Trump’s grandiose clubhouse loomed over the proceedings. The music was relentless—less like a golf club on a Sunday, more like a Miami club past midnight.
It’s hard to overstate how un-golf-like the environment at a LIV event is, even before the shotgun start. This isn’t just intentional—it slaps you in the face. Moments before noon Sunday, as 57 players scattered to the 18 tees across this gorgeous, sprawling property along the Potomac River, a public address announcer blared: “Virginia! Make some noise! Let’s do this!”
At the Masters, the starter says plainly, “Fore, please. Bryson DeChambeau now driving.” Maybe that’s stuffy. At LIV Virginia, DeChambeau’s arrival at the first tee was preceded by four military parachuters landing