LIV Golf’s Mexico City event isn’t off to a hot start.
After a Wednesday filled with rumors of the rebel league’s impending demise, Thursday’s broadcast of the first round hit a snag.
Just a few shots into the tournament, LIV Golf’s live stream went dark, showing a message stating “Please stand by. Technical issues” instead of play on the course.
The technical difficulties started about ten minutes after the first tee times on Thursday at 3:15 p.m. ET, and had dragged on for over an hour.
“We know many of you were tuning in, and we’re sorry for the disruption,” the official LIV Golf account wrote on X. “We’re experiencing technical difficulties due to local power outages which is impacting our broadcast feed. We’re working on a resolution and hope to be back on air as soon as possible.”
It’s safe to say the stream snafu is not how LIV Golf wanted to kick off this weekend’s tournament after a chaotic 24-plus hours.
The day prior, LIV executives were reportedly summoned to an “emergency summit” in New York as rumors swirled about the Saudi-backed tour’s future.
The Financial Times reported that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was close to cutting off support for LIV, which has shaken up the golf world since launching nearly five years ago.
Golf reporter Ryan French said Wednesday that a “bombshell announcement” was coming about LIV Golf “shutting down.”
“Players didn’t get paid today, power went out because the bill wasn’t paid, employees didn’t get paid. Stuff like that. There is definitely a lot going on… Things are not good,” French said on X Spaces.
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil attempted to shut down talk of his company’s rumored downfall, writing in an email to staff that the 2026 season is continuing “exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.”
The breakaway golf tour has made waves over the last few years, attracting the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson with nine-figure deals and shorter tournaments.
But they’ve begun to show cracks of late, including the losses of Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, who both left LIV for a shot back on the PGA Tour.
