With a player meeting expected to unveil more information to LIV Golf members who are uncertain what lies ahead, Cameron Smith said he's preparing for the season-ending LIV Golf Team Championship as if it's still happening, even though fellow league member Martin Kaymer was quoted as saying he thought there was a 5 percent chance the event would go in Michigan as planned.
"We've been told to prepare as though it's going ahead. So we're expecting it to happen," Smith said during a press conference on Tuesday. "I'm really unsure, but we had a great year there last year in Detroit, and we're hoping we get back there. It's a great golf course, a great venue, and the crowds really turned up as well. Yeah, would be disappointed if it wasn't."
LIV Golf is on life support. Does it matter if the plug is pulled now the Saudis have gone? | Opinion
The circuit's turbulent 2026 season appeared poised to take another significant hit last week, when reports leaked that the league was expected to announce the cancellation of its team championship in Michigan, marking the second event scrubbed from this year’s schedule. The social media account "Flushing It" first reported the development, while LIV officials had not responded to Golfweek’s request for comment.
The news followed April’s decision to postpone LIV Golf New Orleans, an event that was originally slated for July and has yet to receive a replacement date. Combined with seven weeks without competition before last week’s LIV Golf UK event, the move underscores a season that has been defined as much by uncertainty as by on-course action. Lucas Herbert’s record-setting victory in England provided a brief spotlight on the competition itself, but broader questions about the league’s stability continue to dominate the conversation.
With the Michigan finale expected to be removed from the calendar, LIV’s 2026 slate would be reduced to just two remaining tournaments: this week's LIV Golf New York at Trump Bedminster (Aug. 6-9) and LIV Golf Indianapolis at The Club at Chatham Hills (Aug. 20-23).
Beyond those events, the league’s roadmap remains unclear.
The latest setback arrives amid a series of challenges for LIV Golf. Last week, the Asian Tour announced a new strategic alliance with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, effectively ending its partnership with LIV.
And on Monday, Flushing It said emails were sent to staffers alerting them that they'd be let go at the beginning of September.
LIV Golf sources indicate emails were sent out today to a large number of staff and contractors to give them 30 days notice that their employment will be terminated in early September.
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) August 3, 2026
There is still no clarity on future investment but a player meeting is scheduled at Trump… https://t.co/rlGMGyqA08 pic.twitter.com/j61MhSSMoI
And while Smith said he'd yet to think about a potential life after LIV, others on his Ripper GC team said they have entertained thoughts about a life without the circuit.
"I'm contracted to the end of next year, so I was expecting to play until the end of next year and renegotiate and hopefully go on," Smith said. "What we've been able to do for golf in Australia is really quite important to me, junior golf, the Little Rippers, the event that we have down there, the people it brings out to showcase our great league. It would be a shame for all that to go away, and I feel like we've worked really hard over the last three or four years to kind of make that all happen.
"Australian golf is important to me. I think it improves it. I think all the numbers are up. The memberships are up. Social play is up. I think that's in part because of us. So I think it would be a shame for Australian golf if it did go away."
"I haven't personally had any discussions but I think my manager has," added teammate Lucas Herbert, who has been on fire of late. "If LIV were to go away and you've got nowhere to play, I think ultimately you need somewhere to play as a professional golfer. So we're just doing due diligence, having that conversation. As I said, I haven't had it personally, and my preference would be to still be playing out here if that was still an option.
"I think conversations have been had without me being privy to them. I don't know the results of any of those either. Yeah, that's my update."
If the league does fold at year's end, some like Jon Rahm could be out of luck in terms of money owed to them. Ryan French, known on social media as "Monday Q Info," claimed that talks with those around the LIV Golf scene have led to some staggering numbers in terms of current LIV debts.
According to multiple people I spoke with, including players, LIV golfers could still be owed in excess of $250 Million combined from contracts they signed.
— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) August 4, 2026
The biggest portion of the lump sum is Jon Rahm who allegedly is still owed as much as….$150 million.
It seems like a…
While the league has found success overseas, it hasn't gained much traction in the American market to this point, and it's uncertain if the league's more expensive players like Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau would stay under a revamped format.
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor of Golfweek.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: At New York event, LIV Golf stars address rumors of season cancellation
