As LIV’s season (and period?) ended, 1 scene and cryptic post captured the oddness

It was a second that will go down in golf historical past as the second LIV Golf 1.0 — and probably LIV Golf’s existence, period — ended.

There was Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, the breakaway league’s two largest stars, shaking arms and embracing on the first inexperienced at The Club at Chatham Hills in Indianapolis after Sunday’s ultimate spherical of the ultimate occasion of LIV’s tumultuous 2026 season. Rahm and DeChambeau have come to outline the story of the league’s five-year run. They were the LIV’s largest fish — one who jumped on board immediately and the other who joined later and in the end ended any probability of a unification between the PGA Tour and LIV.

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One star was all the method in, preaching the virtues of group golf while being LIV’s largest champion. The other dominated its tournaments but always appeared in battle with the Faustian cut price he made to go away the PGA Tour, to which he had sworn “fealty.” In the finish, as LIV stood on shaky ground after the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund announced it would pull funding after the 2026 season, DeChambeau and Rahm were the two figures holding the keys to the risk of a LIV 2.0. Without its big-name stars, any potential investor would be unlikely to invest tens of millions in the outfit’s next part.

As our Sean Zak detailed on the ground, last week in Indianapolis was all about LIV’s unsure future, the gamers who appeared to be heading for the exit, the questions that had gone unanswered and the resolution in entrance of DeChambeau and Rahm. So while Michael La Sasso triumphed Sunday, the actual story was what occurred after he was sprayed with champagne and after DeChambeau and Rahm embraced.

After a T3 end, DeChambeau was requested about LIV’s future and his position in it. He initially spoke positively about the potential for LIV 2.0 before sounding as if he had seen the writing on the wall.

“I think there’s a lot of potential moving forward. It’s been an interesting ride, that’s for sure,” DeChambeau said. “You know just as much as I have everything that we’ve gone through and the tough moments that we’ve had. But it’s made us stronger.

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“As much as we’re transitioning from LIV 1.0 to 2.0, I have great ideas about what could occur next 12 months. I want I could be more up entrance about it. But in the end I’m proud of the reality of what we’ve completed, the good and some of the unhealthy that we’ve sadly had, issues that have occurred. I’m going to be actual with it; not everything was excellent. But for the most half we’ve completed a strong job. If there’s one factor that I could say, it’s we did something totally different in the sport of golf, and I’m proud of that.”

Then came a bizarre scene that was a first for LIV. “Golf But Louder,” as it was initially dubbed, has been defined by the over-the-top celebrations that accompanied each big-money win. With the team finale in Michigan being canceled, Sunday in Indianapolis also served as the team championship. Rahm’s Legion XIII won that title for the second straight year, but this time the celebration was muted. Rahm shook LIV CEO Scott O’Neil’s hand briefly and took the trophy as he and his teammates got on the makeshift stage. But as soon as they took their places, Tyrrell Hatton and Tom McKibbin started to climb down before the champagne was sprayed. According to The Fried Egg Golf, McKibbin and Hatton both sent messages with their walk-up songs this week — Hatton electing “I Want To Break Free” and McKibbin choosing “Breaking Free” — as they prepare to exit the league.

Asked about his subdued tone in the celebration, Hatton said he was ready to leave … literally.

“I think anytime you win is great,” Hatton said. “As I said, we’ve been in a position to do that the last few years a quantity of occasions, and we’ve had a great time collectively doing it. I just need to get to the airport because I have a flight to catch, so that would be great.”

Rahm was asked about what he was looking forward to as he planned his pro-golf future, but the two-time major champion evaded the question, which spoke volumes.

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“I’m trying ahead to going home and serving to my very pregnant spouse with the youngsters because it’s a 3-v-1 proper now. It’s in all probability a 4-v-1 with the one that’s due in October,” Rahm said. “Happy to be dad for a few days before I get back for the Irish Open, but primarily trying ahead to a haircut tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. because I need one badly.”

As for his efficiency during his three-year run with LIV, Rahm, who made $105.6 million in his LIV Golf profession on course, saved it short.

“I think I was saying, both group and particular person facets, mission achieved,” Rahm said.

Tour Confidential: Wyndham vs. Rory and what’s next for LIV Golf

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By: Josh Sens, Nick Piastowski, Josh Berhow

Earlier in the week, O’Neil expressed confidence to reporters in LIV’s future, citing gamers’ skill to own equity in the league and the plan to have 5 group championships abroad and 5 particular person tournaments in the United States. O’Neil said he had a “good degree of confidence” that LIV would retain the right number of high-quality players to continue. O’Neil also said there would be a deadline for players to commit to LIV 2.0, but did not specify when that would be.

But O’Neil’s confidence was overshadowed by a bizarre week in Indianapolis, where LIV 1.0 ended amid a shroud of questions about its potential future, with Rahm’s evasive answer still hovering above The Club at Chatham Hills as the buildouts were taken down on Monday.

Then came a cryptic Instagram post from DeChambeau on Monday, featuring a carousel of his winning LIV moments and the caption “It was a good run.”

LIV Golf 1.0 ended Sunday much differently than it began. There were no concerts or parties or extended celebrations. Just a pack of well-paid golfers heading for the airport while O’Neil tried to plan his next move to keep it afloat. There was Rahm’s dodging when he would’ve previously expressed confidence; there was Hatton trying to break free as the champagne popped; and there was DeChambeau’s white-knighting for LIV’s future before suggesting the opposite on social media.

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There were just questions about LIV’s future and what it all had been for if this was indeed the end.

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