Sometimes the most important work happens when nobody is really watching.
Lexi Thompson was out on the 18th green, working through her putting during a practice round ahead of the Chevron Championship in Houston.

It’s a simple scene, but it shows the kind of quiet preparation that goes into these big tournaments—getting the feel of the greens, adjusting to conditions, and building trust in every stroke.

These are the small details that can shape how a player starts when the pressure kicks in.

It looks like LIV Golf is over.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund has reportedly decided that this league simply isn’t worth the hole it’s burning in their pocket, and they’re pulling funds at the end of 2026.

That gives them less than a year to seek new investment. While CEO Scott O’Neil seems confident, it’s going to be extremely difficult to secure funding for a league that is operating at such eye-watering losses.

So this probably pulls the curtain closed on one of the most turbulent, frustrating, confusing, and ridiculous eras in golfing history. Hopefully, we can all return to some reality after the year is over.

But there is still so much uncertainty surrounding golf’s future thanks to this. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed saw the signs early and jumped ship, but they did that with some leverage. So what on earth is going to happen to the rest of these players who didn’t take the olive branch when it was offered to them?

Feelings will be hurt, and careers will be ended. Let’s take a look.

Jon Rahm rejoins the PGA Tour

Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under the returning member program, which saw him pay $5 million to charity, accept that he’ll receive no FedEx Cup bonus money, and agree he cannot be a sponsor exemption for the 2026 signature events.

That same deal was offered to Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. They didn’t accept it, but a similar offer will likely be handed out to them again.

If LIV Golf folds, Rahm will not hold the same leverage as Koepka did, but he is a bigger star at this stage of his career. Make no mistake, the PGA Tour will want him back immediately.

But Rahm does risk leaving himself without any options at all. Reed didn’t come straight back to the PGA Tour, so he’s spending a year on the DP World Tour first. You’d imagine Rahm would consider doing the same, but it might not be so easy for him.

Rahm is in a feud with the DP World Tour, as the only one of eight players to reject a deal which would have seen him retain his full-time membership. If Rahm agreed to play in six DP World Tour events this year, then he could have played on both LIV Golf and the tour. He did not agree.

For now, his membership is at risk. So, will it be possible for him to spend a season on the DP World Tour like Reed? Maybe not. That makes it all the more likely that Rahm will be back on the PGA Tour the moment LIV folds.

Bryson DeChambeau does YouTube full-time

With DeChambeau, I don’t think it’s as much of a done deal that he returns to the PGA Tour. Not immediately anyway.

He’s been negotiating his contract with LIV, which expires at the end of this season. During these negotiations, he’s made it very clear that he is completely willing to step away from full-time competition and be a full-time YouTuber.

DeChambeau’s channel has over two million subscribers, so he could feasibly do that with all of the money he’s making there.

He was annoyed to see LIV move to a four-day format, so he could commit himself fully to being the content king. It would be a wild thing to do, but it’s also exactly the kind of move you could see the two-time major winner making.

He could qualify for The Open Championship and the US Open, and earn enough points there to play The Masters and the PGA Championship. It’s possible.

He does seem to live for competition, so maybe YouTube won’t quite scratch the itch, but it is on the table for DeChambeau. At least for a year until his suspension expires. Out of Rahm and DeChambeau, the American is absolutely the least likely to take a deal.

Nelly Korda will be setting her sights on a third career major championship win this week at The Chevron Championship.

Korda won The Chevron Championship in 2024, three years after claiming her maiden title at the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship.

Her form puts her among the favorites for success at Memorial Park, which plays host to the opening major of the 2026 season.

And Korda has boosted her chances further by skipping last week’s JM Eagle LA Championship, despite the clear rewards on offer.

Nelly Korda will be well rested for The Chevron Championship

When asked what she’s done well in the early stages of the LPGA Tour season, Korda said: “What have I done well?

“I would say the work that I’ve put in on my body, making sure that my schedule is planned out well.

“So instead of let’s say going to JM Eagle because I know let’s say it’s a higher purse, instead I just took that week off, made sure that I rested my body.

“I made sure that after those three weeks that I played in a row I gave the first couple days at home my body a complete break.

“I didn’t touch a club for about four days. I was in the gym and I made sure that my mind was refreshed.”

Such an approach should pay off for the American, who has been one of the standout players of the season so far.

She boasts one win from her four starts, and has finished either second or tied-second in her other three appearances.

Smart scheduling has been crucial to her fantastic results, which she now looks like she will be able to continue in Houston.

Korda arrived for the tournament on Sunday night, and has been busy finding her feet at Memorial Park since then.

As detailed by TaylorMade, she started a practice day with putting practice at 6.32am, followed by a warm-up on the practice range with wedges at 7.20am.

Irons, fairway woods and driver practice followed at 7.30am, 7.40am and 7.55am, with her practice round then beginning at 8.15am.

It’s a busy but necessary schedule, with such discipline having helped her clinch 16 career titles and once reach number one in the world rankings.