After a challenging winter, LIV Golf appear to be gaining some traction again as the 2026 season approaches.
Most of the recent conversations around LIV have focused on Brooks Koepka’s departure and whether others might follow him back to the PGA Tour. But for now, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm seem settled where they are.
The Saudi-backed league also closed out their offseason signings with a move that caught some attention: HyFlyers, Phil Mickelson’s team, added NCAA champion Michael La Sasso to their roster.
LIV Golf hit with challenge after signing Michael La Sasso
It is a move that could pay off for LIV. Had La Sasso stayed amateur, he would have been in the field at this year’s Masters. Instead, he chose to turn pro and take what LIV had on the table.
LIV are quietly putting together an impressive group of young talent. David Puig and Josele Ballester have already found their footing within the league.
However, speaking on Dan on Golf, Dan Rapaport noted that LIV now face a difficult task in turning their best prospects into superstars.
Rapaport explained: “The problem is the only people who know these players, these up and comers from college, are golf sickos. It’s really hard to blossom into a star on LIV because the public just doesn’t know how to contextualise LIV wins.
“As of right now, there’s really no direct pathway into major championships. And the ecosystem, it’s just not set up to make a star like the PGA Tour with a Ludvig Aberg or even a Chris Gotterup.”
Graeme McDowell’s comments look to be an own goal for LIV Golf
Graeme McDowell weighed in on La Sasso’s signing via social media. The 2010 US Open winner, now with Smash, is part of the team that saw Koepka leave in late 2025.
McDowell argued that LIV offers a genuine pathway for young talent, noting how hard it has become to break through on the PGA Tour.
But Rapaport pushed back on those comments, suggesting McDowell may have unintentionally highlighted the strength of the PGA Tour instead.
“I’m going to translate that tweet for you: an actor that is not tied to market forces is willing to lose millions and millions of dollars per year is willing to give these amateurs millions of guaranteed money that they used to have to earn on tour,” he began by saying.
“And when he says the path to the PGA Tour is increasingly perilous, that just means it’s harder than ever to make it on the best tour in the world. Yeah, that’s kind of the idea.”
As La Sasso and others like Puig and Ballester develop within LIV, it will be worth watching how public perception shifts over time.
As Rapaport pointed out, without wider acceptance or major pathways opening up, there is a real ceiling right now on how far LIV talents can climb in global standing.
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