It’s impossible these days not to hear about LIV poaching rising pros from the PGA Tour. But more often than not, tour pros reject those offers. Count Akshay Bhatia, Si Woo Kim, and now, reportedly, Max Greyserman in that list. Yet, if golf conversations are anything to go by, LIV first needs to stop its stars from fleeing. Yes, especially after Brooks Koepka’s surprising exit. Here are the top three ways, starting with…

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Big OWGR Dilemma

Agility thrives at LIV Golf, a league mostly defined by moving goalposts and winging it through chaos, which explains why few blinked when LIV switched from 54-hole to 72-hole events. Even the pros were impressed by the change, not including Rory McIlroy. Now it’s expanding the field from 54 to 57 this season, kicking off with LIV Golf Promotions this month to slot in three “wild cards.”

Regardless, it was done in a bid to gain the approval of the OWGR membership. Plus, to create easier paths for LIV pros to get access to the majors.

No promising developments yet, but it’s no shock that on the very day LIV unveiled its format flip, OWGR shifted its stance on applications. That includes 54-hole tournaments getting 75 percent of the original field rating, and ranking points distribution, effective from the first week of this season.

On the flip side, after OWGR’s first rejection, LIV reapplied for points last year. Much ink has been spilled on this, including Eugenio Chacarra’s disappointing outbursts (who left because of a lack of rankings), but LIV CEO Scott O’Neil vowed resolution by month’s end. Here’s everything you need to know about it. If the league fails that, expect a hefty exodus of pros.

Poor Viewership

Last season, LIV Golf debuted on Fox Sports with mixed viewership. It snagged 17 main Fox windows, peaking at 484,000 for Miami’s final round in April. Compare that to the DP World Tour (35% rise in 2025) and the PGA Tour (average weekend viewership number was 2.28M in 2025), and you understand the issue. Lack of good viewership numbers indicates a lack of fan interest, and that could be a serious threat to LIV’s existence.

In 2024, Brooks Koepka voiced concerns about it in a fun interview. When asked why fans skip LIV, he quipped it’s because the product is LIV. And boring. Of course, the LIV product in itself isn’t boring. Just watch the hordes of fans at the Adelaide event.

But its global schedule dashes hopes for solid American viewership. Or in most Western countries. That’s why LIV just revealed its Sky Sports partnership starting in 2026, delivering nearly 600 hours of live coverage. The distinct pacts with LIV Golf and the Asian Tour span all distribution channels in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. LIV also announced a partnership with TNT Sports for live coverage in the UK and Ireland.

Heavy Schedule

Plenty of LIV Golf players claimed a top reason for ditching the PGA Tour was extra family time. Fewer events, shotgun starts, and only three rounds per tournament seemed perfect to spend more time with family. But reality has swiftly upended that myth.

LIV’s 2026 calendar piles on South Africa alongside Australia, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, and the U.K. That’s like dooming players to unprecedented airport purgatory. Today’s Golfer‘s Rob McGarr reports that this hectic schedule means LIV stars will endure no fewer than 27 flights, 218.5 hours airborne, and 102,105 miles. That’s nine-plus days cruising at 35,000 feet, far enough to lap the globe fourfold in this endless schedule.

For contrast, a typical PGA Tour pro’s slate is far less grueling. Even grinding a full 20-25 event racks up just 90 hours airborne and 37,000 miles across the season. Now, that sounds a bit too harsh on them.

No wonder Koepka’s official statement upon LIV exit indicated he switched to spend more time with family. No wonder, indeed, that veteran pros have often talked about the heavy toll of such a schedule on the LIV players. Here’s what Kevin Na confessed during an interview, confessing that the travel is “not easy to do.”

There are other major concerns as well. Namely, a possible PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger and LIV’s poor financial record.