LIV Golf came into Thomas Pieters’ life at a time when the dream he had as a kid already started to feel off. Like most golfers, he had always wanted to make it big on the PGA Tour. But, a year in, the constant travel and that “hotel room life” started catching up. New cities every week, but the same routine, mostly alone. It wasn’t quite what he had imagined. So when LIV came around with a lighter schedule, better money, and more time for family, switching didn’t feel like a tough decision. 

It’s been nearly three years since that decision, and four years since Saudi Arabia’s PIF has put nearly $5–6 billion+ in LIV Golf… only to lose hundreds of millions every year. Understandably, PIF has decided it won’t keep funding LIV indefinitely. In fact, 2026 might be the last year. Amid the uncertainty and panic, many LIV players have been left thinking about their options or lack thereof. One of them is Thomas Pieters, who ended up calling home as soon as the news broke. 

“I called home and said I was ready to retire on Monday if they really pulled the plug that quickly, and I was kind of okay with that,” he said on the Dan on Golf Show. “The atmosphere was very grim. After three or four hours of everyone talking about it and checking Twitter every few seconds, I’d had enough. I’m not too fussed right now. I still feel a responsibility to focus on the next six or seven tournaments on LIV, and then we’ll see.”

The fact that Pieters could entertain retirement so calmly traces back directly to why he joined LIV in 2023.

After the PGA, Pieters has earned roughly $18 million in LIV prize money alone, compared to about $3 million across his entire PGA Tour career, with guaranteed payouts each week regardless of finish. Even mid-tier results regularly bring in six-figure sums, a stark contrast to the cut-heavy, high-pressure structure he left behind.

The lifestyle shift has been just as significant. Instead of a 20–30 event grind on the PGA Tour, LIV’s ~12–14 event schedule, spread across three-day tournaments with no cuts, has effectively cut his travel load nearly in half. That translates to weeks, even months, gained back at home. For Pieters, that trade-off mattered. As he put it earlier, “You can’t lie about it financially, it’s amazing… as a family, father of two daughters… it’s awesome to have such a good schedule.”

Rapaport had reported back in 2022 that Pieters “hated his life” grinding through a full PGA Tour schedule, describing his eventual move as a last-minute decision driven by wanting to play less, earn more, and be present for his family. He has since confirmed he has zero intention of returning to the PGA Tour, calling the lifestyle there lonely and mentally exhausting.

Pieters is not alone in feeling the weight of that uncertainty. Across the locker room, players are processing the same question: what happens after this season ends? Bryson DeChambeau, whose reported $125 million contract also expires this season, has pushed back hard against reports of PGA Tour return talks.

“It’s completely untrue. I’m working as hard as I can to find a solution,” he told Flushing It Golf. “I’m committed to making team golf work in the best way possible. I think there’s a place for it in the ecosystem, and I want to continue to grow the game across the world. That’s always been our mission, and it’s never been more true than now.”

DeChambeau joined LIV Golf in 2022 for approximately a $125m contract, and it is set ​to expire at the end of this season. He was reportedly seeking a $500m deal to stay with LIV before ​the league’s funding problems were revealed.

Now that LIV Golf’s management knows what is at stake, it is making some fast and practical decisions.

LIV Golf partners with investment bank Ducera

Just one week after announcing a board restructuring, LIV Golf has engaged investment bank Ducera to lead its search for long-term financial partners. This strategic move signals the league is treating this setback as a pivot, not a shutdown.

Ducera is not a small player in its industry. The bank has advised on over $850 billion in transactions across media, entertainment, and sports, giving LIV Golf credible firepower to attract serious investment conversations rather than desperation deals.

With the clock running and player contracts expiring, the pressure to close a deal is immediate. LIV’s newly stated goal is transitioning into a diversified, multi-partner model rather than depending on a single sovereign backer.