What do some of LIV Golf’s young hopefuls make of the league’s uncertain future? A pair speak up

Committed to the Cause? Bryson DeChambeau breaks silence on LIV Golf’s future, says ‘we’re going to make this work’

LIV, Laugh, Love 'We don't know what's going on over there': PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp sounds off on LIV Golf news in Pat McAfee Show appearance

The week prior to the Singapore Open, during the LIV Golf Mexico City event, reports surfaced that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was on the verge of withdrawing its financial support of the upstart league. It was, and remains, one of the biggest stories in sports this year.

LIV Golf’s CEO, Scott O’Neil, said his league has the PIF's support through this season. Operations will continue in 2026 with events in Washington, D.C., South Korea, Spain, Louisiana, England, New Jersey, Indianapolis and Michigan to come.

The uncertainty surrounding LIV is something Surratt, who joined in 2024, and Ballester, recruited last summer, obviously are aware of. Yet Surratt feels enough information has been conveyed to players so far to make them comfortable—at least in the short run.

“The reassurance is you have 60 players in the league or so, and I think every single one of them is 100 percent fully invested in making it a better place to play,” Surratt, 22, said. “I think it's out of my control, but I know that Scott O'Neil is probably the No. 1 guy that we all want in charge in … for a successful future. So there's no doubt in my mind everything's going to work out, but in the end, I'm not really in control and my job is just to work hard, get better, and try to play well.”

Ballester, also 22, finished third at LIV Golf Mexico City. He is also optimistic about LIV’s future.

“So far we know that we're excited to finish the season in fashion and looking forward to continue next year,” Ballester said from Singapore, where he finished T-3. “As you said, it was a little turbulent at the beginning of last week [in Mexico], but pretty excited for what's forward.”

2272101653

Ballester said it means a lot that Bryson DeChambeau came out and said he's trying to look out for LIV's young players as the league tries to figure out its future.

Hector Vivas

It would be understandable if the league’s younger players—a group that includes 20-somethings Tom McKibbin of Northern Ireland, Spain’s David Puig and last year’s NCAA champion, Michael La Sasso—were nervous about the 2027 season and beyond. It helps though to hear DeChambeau express his belief that “there will be a solution” to his impending contract renewal with reports suggested DeChambeau and his team met with LIV organizations at the Masters to explore all options.

“As of right now, my job is to help make the league work after this year,” DeChambeau told the social media account Flushing It. “I'm going to do everything in my power to make it work and I really see the value in franchise golf. And, you know, another reason why I'm doing this is not just for myself and the team aspect that I really believe in on the Crushers side. It's for Michael La Sasso. It's for Caleb Surratt. It's for Josele Ballester. It's for David Puig.”

Suffice it to say Ballester and Surratt appreciated the two-time U.S. Open winner’s mention of them.

“Yeah, for sure, it definitely means a lot and not just for myself but for the other young guys on LIV and the league overall,” Ballester said. “Bryson, Rahm are the top two guys on the league. Having those two guys looking over, not [only] for themselves but also for the rest, it's pretty cool to see. As a young player, there's not so much that I can control, so I'm just focusing on my golf and hopefully they will continue for many years.”

Surratt added: “Bryson, he's a great guy to have around. He is certainly an amazing player, and I know for a fact that I think what he said is true. He is going to fight for what's right.”

Prior to joining LIV, Surratt and Ballester enjoyed highly promising amateur careers. Surratt, from the University of Tennessee, was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2023, when he also helped the U.S. to a Walker Cup victory at St. Andrews in 2024. Ballester won the 2024 U.S. Amateur and finished third in the PGA Tour University in 2025, but was recruited by Garcia’s team on LIV Golf.

2272115882

Surratt (second from left) poses with his Legion XIII teammates after their team win at LIV Golf Mexico City earlier this month.

Hector Vivas

Despite the now hazy future for LIV, Ballester says he does not regret his path he’s taken.

“No matter what happens, and again, I'm pretty confident that this is going to continue, but I still look at it as a good decision because when I made the choice, what came down as the biggest thing and the balance was the fact of believing that being surrounded by these kind of players was going to make me a better golfer,” Ballester said. “And it has proved my point since the very beginning, so my golf is way better than what it was when I turned professional thanks to being on this league and playing with these players.”

That said, prior to LIV Golf’s 2026 season, the Spaniard was also trying to secure status on the DP World Tour following a T-10 and a T-6, respectively, at the Australian PGA and Australian Open. It’s a path that a number of LIV golfers have followed, and Ballester plans to continue the pursuit.

Surratt contends that he is at least three full seasons ahead of the developmental trajectory he was on, had he not left school two years early.

“Right now I'd be graduating college and coming up here this month, and instead I've gotten three years playing with a lot of the best players in the world and traveling the world doing it,” Surratt said. “So I think when I look at the long career that I plan on having, I'm off to a great headstart.

“College taught me a lot, but I've learned a lot over the last three years. I've learned how to be a pro, and I can't say that that would be the case if I didn't make the move. So there's not been one second that I've regretted it.

“What's going on doesn't change anything in my mind from a business perspective. It's rare that you're going to have a startup that doesn't get some winds and rain here and there, but I think looking back in the future, I think we'll look and see that this is a great time for growth. If I had the same decision and opportunity to go right now, I would still take it. It's been amazing for my family. It's been amazing for my golf game.”