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Raise your hand if you saw this one coming.
LIV Golf has been downright invisible for more than a month.
The last action featuring the upstart golf league took place on June 7 in Spain.
The next LIV Golf event (perhaps) is expected to take place next Thursday, July 23 in the United Kingdom. August will feature three tournaments in New York, Indianapolis, and Michigan to end the 2026 season.
In case you missed it, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has already told the LIV Golf players that Daddy Big Bucks won’t be around to lose another billion or more next year to support the league.
There has been chatter during this one month LIV Golf lull that the Saudis might even pull the plug prior to next week’s golf tournament in Staffordshire, England. Stay tuned!
This week, the fourth major golf tournament of the year is being held at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale (located 50 miles northwest of Liverpool, England).
After two rounds, nine members of the LIV Golf contingent have made their presence known at The Open – loud and clear
Leading the Open after two rounds was none other than LIV Golf’s Lucas Herbert at eight under par.
Who dat, you ask? The unassuming Herbert is an Australian golfer who participates as a member of the LIV Golf’s popular “Ripper GC” team.
Lucas Herbert is only 30 years old. He won a single PGA Tour event in October, 2021 in Bermuda against a less-than-stellar field. Herbert then moved over to LIV Golf in January, 2024 to team up with fellow Aussies Cam Smith, Marc Leishman, and Elvis (Smiley, that is).
Herbert (whose caddie looks like a guitar player for ZZ Top) won the May, 2026 LIV Golf tournament in northern Virginia. His blazing 24-under par total produced a four-shot victory.
Lucas Herbert tied the Open record on Friday with a second round 8-under par 62. He missed a three foot birdie putt on the 18th hole which would have given him a new record with a sizzling 61.
He told the assembled press afterwards, “It’s a pretty good problem to have – to be disappointed you shot a 62!”
When the second round ended, Herbert took a one shot lead into the weekend over fellow LIV Golf star and team captain of the “Crushers” team, Bryson DeChambeau.
Well, at least for a few minutes…
Bryson DeChambeau rolled in a 16-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole on Friday to post a 7-under par total and take solo second place. He was expecting to be paired with LIV Golf’s Lucas Herbert on Saturday as he walked off the 18th green following Round 2.
Royal & Ancient tournament officials visited with Bryson DeChambeau as soon as he walked toward the clubhouse to sign his scorecard. They wanted to discuss a possible rules infraction which happened way back on Hole #5 of the second round Friday.
Bryson DeChambeau bombed a long tee shot, but it was far off line to the right side of the fairway. His golf ball landed in a marshy area surrounded by knee-high fescue grass. As DeChambeau walked around and then behind the ball to line-up his second shot, he accidentally stepped onto some of the fescue behind the ball. The rules officials deemed the temporarily depressed grass to give the golfer an unfair advantage.
DeChambeau gave a passionate explanation of his version of the story. He pleaded with the officials that the shot he played was not affected by the squished-down nearby grass.
No matter. He was still assessed a two shot penalty to balloon his bogey 5 into a triple bogey 7 on Hole #5.
Those extra two shots changed his second round total score from -7 to -5. It dropped DeChambeau from solo second place into a three way tie for fifth place.
Afterwards, he said, “Obviously disappointed with the ruling. I don’t agree with it, but it is what it is. This fires me up. Onto the weekend. Let’s get it!”
It wasn’t the only time that DeChambeau was in the news this week at The Open
Bryson DeChambeau is a former US Amateur champion and has won two US Opens. His unusual golfing style (extremely long drives, a set of irons which are all the same length, and a wonky upright putting stance) make him easy to notice on the golf course. His bright smile and affable personality have added to his popularity – especially with younger golf fans.
One former golfer who isn’t enthralled with DeChambeau’s golf style is former champion Nick Faldo.
Earlier in the week, Faldo took to the microphone to say that Bryson DeChambeau had little or no chance of winning the Claret Jug trophy which goes to the winner.
The six-time major champion commented, “I’d say it to his face. DeChambeau has zero clue of strategy.” He added, “He (DeChambeau) said last year, ‘I’m going to go out and attack the links.’ Well, I’ve never attacked the links. You thread it…feed it down the fairway.”
To his credit, Bryson DeChambeau didn’t directly respond to Nick Faldo’s barbed remarks.
LIV Golf’s “Hot Temper Twins” haven’t disappointed, either
What’s the first thing you think of when I say, “Terrell Hatton?”
Some might say, “Who?” Golf fans like me think of “Hot Head Hatton.”
The club-flinging, four-letter-word-hurling Hatton found himself at -3 heading into Saturday’s third round.
The LIV Golf competitor was paired with Scottie Scheffler (-4) and Bryson DeChambeau during the first two rounds at this year’s Open. The cameras found Hatton on the verge of club-chunking a few different times during Thursday’s opening round.
Then there’s LIV Golf’s $300 million bonus man, Jon Rahm. Like Hatton, the intense Spaniard has a long history of temper eruptions on the golf course.
Friday’s second round featured Jon Rahm (-4 for the tournament) flinging an iron which bounced off the tee box on the par-3 15th hole.
Rules officials handed Rahm an official warning afterwards.
The four major golf championships are (yeah, right) cracking down on bad behavior on the course. Rules officials now have the option of issuing a warning, a two shot penalty, or, if warranted, a disqualification.
With Rahm being a two-time major golf champion, he was fortunate not to be assessed a two-shot penalty after Friday’s latest temper outburst.
A LIV golfer may not hoist the Claret Jug on Sunday, but they’ve stolen the show
The other five LIV Golf players who made the cut at The Open were Thomas Detry, Josele Ballester, Victor Perez, Peter Uihlein, and Laurie Canter.
You can say a lot about LIV Golf, but several of the nine players who made the cut at this year’s Open Championship have definitely spiced-up this week’s competition.
A perilous financial future lies ahead for LIV Golf at the end of August (assuming they are still in business at that point).
The economics of the league are not sustainable. Saudi’s fat wallet (now more than $5 billion lighter) will be unavailable soon after enduring four years of massive losses. Defections by Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed this season have also hurt LIV Golf. Don’t forget that Bryson DeChambeau’s contract expires at the end of 2026.
All signs point to a rough landing ahead for LIV Golf.
Let’s enjoy their contingent of talented and spicy golfers this weekend at The Open – while we still have time.