LIV Golf is scaling back operations and cutting staff as it searches for $350m in fresh investment, a development that puts the breakaway tour’s short-term stability at risk. The season ended early with the cancellation of the planned team championship in Detroit, and a tour statement confirmed many employees were told their employment will finish in the first week of September.
Hatton, the 34-year-old European Ryder Cup player, said he still expects the circuit to operate next year. "I would expect there to be LIV next season," he told reporters at the Belfry, adding he believed the organisation had been working hard to secure funding. His remarks came before media reports confirmed staff lay-offs.
Having lost the backing of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV says it has signed a term sheet with a potential new backer but has not confirmed concrete funding. A tour spokesperson told BBC Sport that some employees are being laid off. In a statement LIV said, "The funding commitment announced by PIF earlier this year will reach its conclusion. As a result, we are scaling back operations as we transition to the next chapter of LIV Golf and work toward making LIV 2.0 a reality," and added it was "grateful to our employees for their hard work and dedication" and would support those affected through the transition.
Amid the uncertainty, players connected with LIV face renewed questions about where they will play. Hatton will compete at the British Masters this week and will complete the rest of the season on the DP World Tour, a choice that pleases Europe captain Luke Donald because the Ryder Cup qualifying period opens this week. Hatton told BBC Sport there was "nothing really to focus on other than the golf" and noted he still has "multiple years left on my contract with LIV." He also said he has "played the last four" Ryder Cups and wants to be selected for future teams.
Donald, who led Europe to victories in 2023 and 2025, welcomed the prospect of top players competing more on the DP World Tour because it would boost their chances to qualify automatically. "You want to fill those six with the best," he said. "With someone like a John or Tyrrell playing more on the DP World Tour, they're going to have more opportunities to fill out those top six. And I think that's a good thing. You want your strongest players in those top six." He also said the tour’s future uncertainty made it impossible to offer Ryder Cup qualifying points to LIV events.
The temporary arrangement struck earlier this year, which let several LIV players remain DP World Tour members without sanction, applies only to this season and does not extend into 2027. That deadline, and the unresolved funding picture for LIV, means player decisions in the coming weeks will shape both individual careers and the makeup of Europe’s Ryder Cup pool. For now, LIV must convert a term sheet into actual cash and players must choose whether to prioritise short-term security or the tour that bought them membership this year. The outcome will determine how the next chapter of the sport’s fractured landscape unfolds.
