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LIV Golf’s season (and era?) ended with an odd scene, cryptic post

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It was a moment that will go down in golf history as the moment LIV Golf 1.0 — and potentially LIV Golf’s existence, period — ended.

There was Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, the breakaway league’s two biggest stars, shaking hands and embracing on the first green at The Club at Chatham Hills in Indianapolis after Sunday’s final round of the final event of LIV’s tumultuous 2026 season. Rahm and DeChambeau have come to define the story of the league’s five-year run. They were the LIV’s biggest fish — one who jumped on board immediately and the other who joined later and ultimately ended any chance of a unification between the PGA Tour and LIV.

One star was all the way in, preaching the virtues of team golf while being LIV’s biggest champion. The other dominated its tournaments but always seemed in conflict with the Faustian bargain he made to leave the PGA Tour, to which he had sworn “fealty.” In the end, 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 possibility of a LIV 2.0. Without its big-name stars, any potential investor would be unlikely to invest millions in the outfit’s next phase.

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

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After a T3 finish, DeChambeau was asked about LIV’s future and his role 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.

“As much as we’re transitioning from LIV 1.0 to 2.0, I have great thoughts about what could happen next year. I wish I could be more up front about it. But ultimately I’m proud of the fact of what we’ve done, the good and some of the bad that we’ve unfortunately had, things that have occurred. I’m going to be real with it; not everything was perfect. But for the most part we’ve done a solid job. If there’s one thing that I could say, it’s we did something different in the game 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.

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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 able to do that the last few years a number of times, and we’ve had a great time together doing it. I just want 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.

“I’m looking forward to going home and helping my very pregnant wife with the kids because it’s a 3-v-1 right now. It’s probably 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 mainly looking forward to a haircut tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. because I need one badly.”

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

“I think I was saying, both team and individual aspects, mission accomplished,” Rahm said.

Earlier in the week, O’Neil expressed confidence to reporters in LIV’s future, citing players’ ability to own equity in the league and the plan to have five team championships overseas and five individual tournaments in the United States. O’Neil said he had a “good level 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.

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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.

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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Wyndham Clark’s meteoric turnaround has 1 main club behind it

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11 minutes ago

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25 August 2026

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After his latest victory — his third in the last four months — Wyndham Clark is now firmly in the race for the PGA Tour Player of the Year award, and it all goes back to his putting.

Clark can easily attribute his rapid career turnaround in the second half of this season to his switch to Ping’s Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset CB putter.

At the Valspar Championship in March, Wyndham Clark was lost on the putting greens. He was 147th in SG: Putting on the PGA Tour and ranked 85th in the FedEx Cup after a missed cut.

That week, he used a putter that he had literally purchased from his home club’s pro shop and lost more than half-a-shot per round on the greens.

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But at the following event in Houston, Clark first found Ping’s then-unreleased Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset putter. The Scottsdale TEC features a soft, but responsive PEBAX insert that’s proven very popular among pros. Tony Finau has used one since February while Harris English recently switched to a Scottsdale TEC putter in Memphis.

The putter also has a unique white top with Ping’s EyeQ alignment technology, which is aimed at keeping the eye still, which Ping’s research leads to better strokes.

Lastly, the Ally Blue Onset model Clark picked up utilizes a shaft axis that is in front of the center of gravity of the putter, which Ping says leads to a more stable and consistent stroke.

Clark used the standard-length putter for two events before switching to the 38-inch counterbalanced version with a 17g tip weight and 13g of lead tape on the sole. The idea was to make the putter more like his Jailbird, which he used during his first three PGA Tour titles and the 2023 U.S. Open.

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Since then, Clark has won three events, including this week and his second U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. He’s also catapulted from one of the worst putters on the Tour to now one of the best. He led the field in the category at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, where he shot 30 under and won, and at the Travelers Championship the week after the U.S. Open. He’s now up to 16th on the PGA Tour in SG: Putting.

Clark also made history, signing a putter-only endorsement contract with Ping just before his U.S. Open victory. He became the first player in Ping’s 50-plus years of sponsoring Tour players to sign a putter-only contract.


PING Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset CB Custom Putter
 
View Product

ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA TOUR Superstore

A collage of four close-up photos shows a white golf putter from different angles, including the face, top, grip with Super Stroke branding, and a top-down view on green grass—similar to those seen in Wyndham Clark WITB features.

Jack Hirsh/GOLF

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Putter: Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset CB
Loft: 3˚
Lie: 70˚
Length: 38″
Headweight: 400g
Insert: PEBAX
Grip: SuperStroke Tour 3.0 17″

Want to overhaul your bag for 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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Shedeur Sanders gets more bad news from Todd Monken after Browns name Deshaun Watson QB1

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24 minutes ago

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25 August 2026

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The Cleveland Browns have finally made their QB1 decision after weeks of speculation — and unfortunately for Shedeur Sanders, it does not involve him.

On Monday, head coach Todd Monken announced during media availability that Deshaun Watson would start for the team in the Week 1 game at the Jacksonville Jaguars. He said:

“I took in the full body of work over the course of the offseason to training camp to the games, the joint practice, and ultimately felt like to start the season on the road, Deshaun gave us the best chance to move the ball and score points.

“I felt that way going into the last game, but wasn’t sure. And after we talked as a staff and we re-looked at everything, we’re going to go that direction.”

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#Browns have named Deshaun Watson their starting quarterback over Shedeur Sanders, league sources say.

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Watson had split reps with Sanders during the Browns’ first two preseason games, both losses. Over those two games, Watson had 16 completions for 162 yards and an interception, and he was loudly booed by the home crowd during his reappearance at Huntington Bank Field, which he criticized during his post-game press conference.

Monken, however, reiterated that that negative reaction “absolutely” did not factor into his decision:

“Ultimately, the fans want us to win. That’s our job as coaches, why we’re hired to try and put the best product on the field. And when we don’t, then I understand their frustration. But ultimately they don’t decide who plays.”

ALSO READ: Browns HC Todd Monken reveals Shedeur Sanders’ reaction to Deshaun Watson getting QB1 job

ALSO READ: “CLEARLY above Todd Monken”: Former LB drops major conspiracy behind Browns’ Deshaun Watson decision despite Shedeur Sanders’ performance

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Mina Kimes rips Browns for naming Deshaun Watson QB1 over Shedeur Sanders

Fans have not been the only ones unhappy with the Browns’ choice of Deshaun Watson over Shedeur Sanders, however.

In a video posted to Bluesky, ESPN host Mina Kimes ripped the organization for continuing to back a player who, sexual assault allegations aside, has proven to be mostly terrible when he does play — to the detriment of the fanbase:

“The organization, in making this decision, has proven that despite the fact that they have one of the most loyal fanbases in sports, they are not aligned with their fans. They are aligned with their quarterback. Because, like what he said earlier this week, they simply do not care.”

The Browns still have one more preseason game to play — at home against the New England Patriots, with kickoff at 8 p.m. ET. Neither Sanders nor Watson will play — Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green will split snaps as they dispute the third-stringer position.