For Jon Rahm and his LIV colleagues, the disaster at Augusta National may soon be the least of their worries. Rumors suggest that the Saudi-backed league could be in big trouble. Yes, according to Monday Q Info’s Ryan French, LIV Golf could shut down, and he has a pretty good reason to believe that.

“I think everybody should probably stay near their phones… I have some pretty good sources and I’ve heard that some other people have sources that LIV is shutting down,” Ryan French said in a X Spaces episode, which Flushing It Golf reported.

“I’ve got everything from, and these are people that I trust, that you guys know. Players didn’t get paid today, power went out because the bill wasn’t paid, employees didn’t get paid. Stuff like that. There is definitely a lot going on… Things are not good.”

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French started covering golf’s “Monday qualifiers” and mini‑tour circuit in 2018. He aimed to document the under‑the‑radar struggles of players trying to reach the PGA Tour. Over the years, his X handle has grown to over 194K followers, including golfers Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas, and Paige Spiranac.

He has appeared on several Golf Channel programs, including 5 Clubs and Golf Today, and given many interviews. He has also broken many notable stories, including reporting on Q‑School cheating incidents. French once appeared on the Sliced podcast in October 2025 and claimed that his phone rings at least once every week with accusations of cheating across golf tours worldwide.

As a reputed golf personality with credible sources, French’s report carries significant weight. While there is no confirmation yet, this is not a random situation arising overnight.

LIV Golf has been struggling financially for a long time now. By 2025, LIV Golf had reportedly incurred financial losses totaling $1.4 billion since its inception in 2022. The Saudi-backed league had offered huge player payouts initially to attract elites. For instance, Rahm’s contract with LIV Golf is an estimated $500 million.

Despite the losses, PIF continued to inject funds into the Saudi-backed league. According to February 2026 estimates, LIV Golf had injected $5.3 billion into the league by that time. However, French reports that the organization has no money left.

This will leave LIV golfers like Rahm, DeChambeau, and others hanging. If the league shuts down, they wouldn’t be able to rejoin the PGA Tour immediately. There’s a chance that, unlike with Brooks Koepka, CEO Brian Rolapp may not give any pathway for LIV golfers this time. They might have to face a one-year ban from their last LIV event, get a card through the Korn Ferry Tour or the DP World Tour, and also face other penalties the PGA Tour imposes on them.

Lower‑tier LIV players would face a tougher route. Some could fall back on the DP World Tour or the Asian Tour, but many would effectively be free agents without a home tour. This would also affect all LIV golfers financially.

The news comes after most LIV golfers had a challenging run at the 2026 Masters. Some of the top names from the Saudi-backed league playing at Augusta National this year were Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, and Sergio Garcia.

Until this event, DeChambeau was one of the few whose overall major performances had not declined after joining LIV. But after the 2026 Masters, that might no longer be true. The American pro missed the cut with rounds of 4-over 76 and 2-over 74. Besides him, Bubba Watson (+5), Tom McKibbin (+7), Cameron Smith (+7), and Carlos Ortiz (+11) also missed the cut.

While a handful of LIV players made the cut, only Hatton truly contended, finishing T3. The rest were non-factors, with former major champions like Dustin Johnson (T33), Jon Rahm (T38), and Garcia (T38) finishing far off the pace.

Now, with LIV Golf’s future in question, prominent voices in golf are sharing their thoughts.

Brandel Chamblee weighs in on LIV Golf’s shutdown

Chamblee is one of the earliest and harshest critics of LIV Golf and the Saudi‑backed PIF. Initially, he even called the golfers who made the switch “greedy.” However, after some merger talks over the years, he had softened his views. He even admitted that a round of golf with President Donald Trump in February 2025 had slightly changed his views.

“Given that the product was so ill-conceived and ended up being worse than anyone could have imagined,” Chamblee wrote in an X post when a fan asked for his thoughts. “Would it surprise anyone if the Saudis came to their corrupted senses and finally euthanised the whole lame-brained tour.”

LIV Golf has gone through a lot in 2025. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed left the league. Apart from that, it changed its format from 54 holes to the standard 72 holes for OWGR eligibility; it was eligible, but with an asterisk – only the top 10 professionals on the leaderboard get OWGR points.

As Chamblee noted, things are getting worse and worse for the breakaway league. This backs Ryan French’s view of a shutdown or a bombshell announcement. However, there’s no confirmation about the shutdown yet. For now, players like Rahm, who signed a reported $500 million contract, are left to wonder if the league they joined has a future at all.