Golf analyst Brandel Chamblee rips LIV Golf amid speculation of uncertain future

With a “bombshell announcement” reportedly coming about LIV Golf, Golf Channel analyst and former PGA Tour pro Brandel Chamblee believes the rival tour is coming to an end.

Golf reporter Ryan French said during an X Spaces broadcast that he had “some pretty good sources” tell him “LIV is shutting down,” according to the FlushingItGolf account that was listening.

“I’ve got everything from, and these are people that I trust, that you guys know,” French said, per the account. “Players didn’t get paid today, power went out because the bill wasn’t paid, employees didn’t get paid. Stuff like that.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

TV analyst Brandel Chamblee looks on during a practice round before the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 13, 2023. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Telegraph Sport reported Wednesday that LIV Golf executives have been called into an emergency meeting in New York amid speculation about the league’s future.

Chamblee, who has been one of LIV Golf’s biggest critics since its inception, backed French’s report, believing the tour will crumble.

BROOKS KOEPKA SHOULD FACE PENALTY IF HE REJOINS PGA TOUR, GOLF PUNDIT SAYS

“Given that the product was so ill-conceived and ended up being worse than anyone could have imagined – with shotgun starts, initially 54 holes, a team concept that was nothing but laughable and tournaments that meant and continue to mean nothing, and such a paltry number of viewers, losing billions along the way – would it surprise anyone if the Saudis came to their corrupted senses and finally euthanized the whole lame-brained tour,” Chamblee wrote on X in response to the reports.

The days of a potential merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour seem to be a pipe dream now, especially as LIV stars like Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed come back to their old roots.

Brandel Chamblee of the United States plays during Day One of the Irish Legends at Rosapenna Hotel and Golf Resort in Donegal, Ireland, on Aug. 18, 2022. (Phil Inglis/Getty Images)

In fact, Koepka is a part of a new Returning Member Program, which allows LIV golfers who have won a major or Players Championship since 2022 to return to the PGA Tour under specific conditions and financial penalties.

And while they haven’t done so, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cam Smith are all eligible for Koepka’s program. Reed isn’t in the program, though he is working through a suspension period, where he plans on returning to the Tour as a non-member in August 2026 before hopefully regaining full status in 2027.

Meanwhile, LIV Golf is set to tee off at its Mexico event this week, and they still have nine events scheduled for the rest of the 2026 schedule.

First place individual champion, Captain Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC, holds the trophy during the trophy ceremony after the final round of Aramco LIV Golf Singapore on Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Sentosa, Singapore. (Mateo Villalba/AP)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

But, as French said on X Spaces, “Things are not good.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.