LIV Golf just wrapped its shortest, strangest season yet, and Sir Nick Faldo isn’t buying the optimism coming out of league headquarters.

“Bottom line is more players wanting to leave LIV than want to come to LIV right now. So, and if they really think they can revamp to LIV 2.0 and nothing will be the same…. you know, prize money half, no build-out the same.” Faldo said in an interview with Sky Sports Golf, posted to X on August 26. Asked whether the cancellation of LIV’s season-ending Team Championship signaled the writing was on the wall, Faldo didn’t dodge it.

LIV Golf as a league has not been around for very long, and the timing of these comments isn’t the best.

“I’m hearing it from the back of the range,” he said, adding that several team captains have told him they’re done with the league. He was equally skeptical about the league’s ability to attract fresh capital for its planned relaunch: “How can anybody invest serious money? I mean, they were asking $350 million. Who’s really got that to invest in something that’s just not popular? I’m sorry.”

LIV canceled its $40 million Team Championship, which was supposed to take place in Michigan from August 27-30. The event had no real venue build-out for weeks, while ticket sales were also falling. It was the second LIV event canceled in 2026 after the league also scrapped a $30 million event in New Orleans earlier this year.

That left Indianapolis as the final event of the season. The August 20-23 tournament suddenly became both the season finale and the unofficial team championship.

Michael La Sasso won the individual title after beating Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, while Rahm’s Legion XIII took the team title. For LIV, it was another major warning sign.

The league is also facing a much bigger problem. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced in April that it would stop funding LIV after 2026. Since then, CEO Scott O’Neil has been working to find new investors.

Faldo’s claim that LIV needs around $350 million fits with reports that the league is looking for a huge new investment to survive. O’Neil has even suggested that players could become “majority equity holders” under the new plan. A deal is reportedly being targeted for September.

But LIV 2.0 could look very different from the league fans know today. O’Neil has talked about cutting the schedule from 14 events to just 10. The new plan would feature five major team championships across five continents and five big events linked to the majors. Prize money could also come down.

That is a big change for a league that entered golf by promising huge purses and massive contracts. Faldo also believes the changes could push some LIV players to rethink their futures.

He told BBC Sport that players who want to return to the DP World Tour should be ready to “eat a bit of humble pie” and go through qualifying again.

In other words, Faldo does not think former LIV stars should expect a red-carpet return. For now, LIV’s future is still unclear. But canceled events, a major funding problem, and a possible smaller schedule have made one thing obvious: LIV Golf is entering a make-or-break moment.

But not everyone at LIV Golf sees the situation as badly as Faldo does. Bryson DeChambeau sounded much more positive after the Indianapolis event. His four-year LIV contract ended after the tournament, but he still believes the league has a future.

“I think there’s a lot of potential moving forward. It’s been an interesting ride, that’s for sure,” DeChambeau said. He also said LIV’s problems had “made us stronger.”

DeChambeau has been clear about his belief in LIV before. He has called himself “100 percent” certain that the league has a future.

Earlier this year, he also told Golf Channel that he was “giving all I can” to help keep LIV going. He said he was “very optimistic” about the business model behind team golf.

Scott O’Neil has also tried to calm the concerns. The LIV CEO has said the league is confident it can find the money and convince enough players to stay for LIV 2.0 in 2027.

But there is still a major question hanging over the plan. The new investment depends partly on how many big-name players decide to remain with LIV.

And that is where the real drama begins. Faldo sees warning signs everywhere. DeChambeau sees potential. O’Neil insists the league is moving forward. One of those views will look very different once September arrives and LIV’s deadline for securing its future finally comes and goes.