Welcome back to SI Golf’s Fact or Fiction, where we are pumped for a couple weeks of links golf. Bring on the weather, ’cause we don’t have to play in it.
Once again, we’re here to debate a series of statements for writers and editors to declare as “Fact” or “Fiction” along with a brief explanation. Responses may also (occasionally) be “Neutral” since there's a lot of gray area in golf.
Do you agree or disagree? Let us know on the SI Golf X account.
As first reported by Sports Business Journal, the 2026 LIV Golf schedule appears to have 14 tournaments again but only five in the U.S., down from six this year. The league must do better with U.S. events to have long-term success.
Bob Harig: FICTION. They are leaning into the international markets because that is where they see the game as underserved. And if some of these places are willing to pay them—via local tourist boards, governments or golf courses themselves—it makes economic sense for an entity that really does want to stop the bleeding, even if that is going to take a while. The big question remains if they can monetize TV rights around the world. There is no market as big for golf as the U.S. TV market, one that LIV has yet to legitimately crack.
Jeff Ritter: FICTION. I suppose it depends how we define “success” but I think LIV realizes that it can reach more pro-golf-starved areas by expanding globally. They’re smart to lean into it.
Max Schreiber: FACT. There are parts of the world that are starving to see some of golf’s biggest names up close, and that is going to drive attendance. Heck, even some tournaments in the U.S. have had a decent gallery. However, LIV ratings in the U.S. have been abysmal, even when they’re in the States, and playing in the middle of the night on FS1 in the U.S. because the tour is in the Middle East or Australia isn’t going to help ratings. Let’s be honest: Unless LIV gets 54 of the best players in the world teeing it up together (it won’t), nothing is ever going to make this a successful business model. But the Saudis have an endless supply of cash to keep it operating. And until it shuts its doors for good, the public will continue to be lied to that LIV is the future of golf.
John Schwarb: FACT. LIV bragged about having its biggest Saturday crowd for a U.S. event two weeks ago in Dallas, but Dallas doesn’t appear on this 2026 schedule draft. Why not? And LIV Nashville set records for the league in 2024 but was also a one-and-done. I agree that LIV has a far better chance to make its mark globally, but it needs to show stability here too.
Patrick Cantlay is 14th on the U.S. Ryder Cup points list. He has three top-5 finishes this year on the PGA Tour (two in signature events), but missed cuts at the PGA and U.S. Open. With his Ryder Cup experience he’s a lock for the team regardless of how he plays the next few weeks.
Bob Harig: FACT. Cantlay has not had a great year but it’s hard to see him being left out, especially when there is the potential for some new blood and the need for experience. Cantlay has formed a strong partnership with Xander Schauffele over the years, too. It would take a lot of poor play over the coming weeks for him to not be picked.
Jeff Ritter: FICTION. Right now I see five locks: Scottie, Bryson, Xander, JJ Spaun and Justin Thomas. Everything else comes down to the next six weeks.
Max Schreiber: FICTION. On paper, the top 12 right now in the U.S. standings doesn’t jump off the page, and Cantlay should muster a few solid results to find his way on the team, but if he doesn’t, there’s no reason that he should be guaranteed a pick. This is reminiscent of Tony Finau in 2023, who, after two straight Ryder Cup appearances, was left off the team after four top-10s that year, one of which was a win at the Mexico Open.
John Schwarb: FACT. Not saying this would be the right move if Cantlay’s game isn’t in form, but Capt. Bradley has to have a working list and I believe Cantlay is on it ahead of Brian Harman and Andrew Novak, to name two ahead of Cantlay in Ryder Cup points.
Players are competing for fewer fully exempt PGA Tour cards for 2026: 100 instead of the 125 that had been available for many years. With that, the Tour should have cut down the 10 cards available to the top DP World Tour points leaders via its partnership with the European-based tour.
Bob Harig: FACT. The Tour cut back on exempt spots for its own members as well as KFT spots so it only seems logical that you’d cut back that category, too. This topic remains contentious among players and agents, who view it as the Tour eliminating jobs. While it is true that players who finish from 101 to 125 will still get an abundance of playing opportunities, this issue remains an unpopular one and promises to make things all the more competitive.
Jeff Ritter: FACT. We’re getting a more closed shop on the PGA Tour and the open DP World Tour spots should probably also reflect it. The struggles of Matthieu Pavon this year, as Bob noted this week, are a reminder that strong DPWT results don’t guarantee anything on the PGA Tour.
Max Schreiber: FACT. I’m actually kind of neutral here, but right now Victor Perez is the first man out in the FedExCup standings, and Daniel Hiller is No. 10 in the DPWT rankings. Seems like the guy who played on the PGA Tour all season should be rewarded.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fact or Fiction: LIV Golf Needs Popular U.S. Events for Future Success.
