Five years, more than $US5 billion (A$7bn) spent and plenty of controversy along the way.
Now, LIV Golf is officially coming to an end, and some of the biggest names in the sport aren’t holding back.
From players being accused of greed to questions over how the competition was ever going to survive, the announcement has led to some strong reactions from across the golfing world.
For those who have been critical of the Saudi-backed competition since its arrival in 2022, the news has given them plenty to talk about.
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Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee was among the most outspoken, suggesting the players involved had finally been given a much-needed reality check.
Chamblee said the players had “finally got a slap in the face of reality”, taking aim at their financial demands as LIV attempted to keep the competition alive.
“You can point the finger at a lot of places here, but in order for it to have gone forward, you needed some cooperation from whatever players were going to make up this LIV 2.0,” Chamblee said on Golf Channel.
“The players and player representatives, from what I’ve read, were making financial demands that could not be met.”
Chamblee also questioned why players were unwilling to accept an ownership stake in the proposed new competition, suggesting it showed a lack of confidence in LIV’s future.
“They all thought that they were beachfront property in Malibu, and the market was telling them, no, you’re timeshares in Toledo.”
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He wasn’t the only one to take aim at those involved.
Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard also weighed in, delivering a blunt assessment of LIV’s collapse.
“Greed got it started and greed killed it,” Hoggard said.
Meanwhile, Golf Digest’s Joel Beall questioned how LIV Golf could spend billions of dollars over five years, only for the competition to come to an end.
“Five years, more than $6 billion,” Beall wrote.
“And in the end, LIV Golf couldn’t even give itself away.”
Beall wasn’t finished there, also taking aim at the players and their representatives for the role they played in the competition’s collapse.
“History will say golf’s schism was the money and greed but they only lit the flame,” he wrote.
“The fire came from the dumbest agents and players in golf who mistook their own reflection for genius.”
For golf journalist Dan Rapaport, the amount of money spent on the competition was simply too big to ignore.
“Something tells me there are better uses of $5 billion than enriching already-rich touring professionals,” Rapaport wrote.
“I don’t fault the guys for getting their money. They’re pro golfers; that’s sort of the point. But what a waste.”
Joseph LaMagna was equally critical, describing LIV as an “unserious product from the start” before questioning whether the sport was actually in a better position following five years of division.
However, not everyone was entirely disappointed to see the competition come to an end.
Golf journalist Alan Shipnuck also had his say, appearing to poke fun at the circus that surrounded LIV Golf throughout its five-year existence.
“Such a sad day. Not because LIV was a good product, or that we have any sympathy for the players,” Shipnuck wrote.
“No, LIV was a non-stop content machine, noisy and ridiculous and entertaining.”
Shipnuck also acknowledged that LIV had changed professional golf, even if it wasn’t necessarily in the way the competition had originally intended.
“It changed the game in spite of itself,” he added.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PLAYERS NOW?
Whilst the reaction from American golf commentators has been brutal, the attention is also turning towards what happens next for the players who left the PGA Tour, with a return not simple.
Australian golf star Adam Scott believes those players should have to earn their way back, rather than simply being welcomed into the tours they previously left.
“I mean, I think the fairest thing is that they all re-establish themselves in the system that they want to go to,” Scott said.
“They left and gave up those privileges. So, you know, I think they should re-qualify themselves.”
Scott also believes the sport needs to find a way to move forward after years of division, with the focus returning to having the best players competing against each other.
“I think the last few years has shown us we all need to work towards making this a healthy spot and something that people get excited for,” he said.
For PGA Tour policy board player director Peter Malnati, the collapse itself wasn’t necessarily a surprise, saying “it didn’t take too much to see that wasn’t a viable economic model.”
Former LIV superstar Jon Rahm was also asked about the announcement, although the Spaniard was blunt.
“No reaction really. I kind of had an idea what might happen,” Rahm said.
“My decision was already made to get out of it and go on.”
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Rahm had already walked away from LIV after expressing concerns about the proposed changes to the competition, and is now among the players looking to establish a pathway back to the PGA Tour.
Meanwhile, Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner suggested the PGA Tour could uphold its earlier decision to ban all LIV players for 12 months before allowing them to feature.
“I think what’s going to be very, very interesting is if Brian Rolapp puts them in the penalty box for a year,” Lavner said.
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