Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka applied for PGA Tour reinstatement after an “amicable” exit from LIV in December, and weeks later, major winner Patrick Reed announced it was the right decision for his family to seek a PGA Tour return.

Losing some of your biggest stars is a recipe for disaster. These departures are a catastrophic concern for the league – the exact opposite of what any burgeoning tour wants.

Even before Reed’s announcement, the fissures were visible. Koepka gave up millions to return to the PGA Tour, and Reed followed suit almost immediately. When all is said and done, maybe big contracts aren’t enough to keep the stars content. The league has built its house on sand, and when its pillars walk away, the structure shakes.

Almost every outlet is wondering who is next? Is it Jon Rahm? By the mid-season of 2025, rumours swirled that golf’s hottest defector was having second thoughts. However, Rahm himself has firmly refuted such talk. His LIV teammate Tyrell Hatton was direct with his stance, calling the narrative of Rahm’s “discontent” “just media bull****” and stressing that he’s never even seen Rahm unhappy after coming to LIV.

For now, the Rahm camp appears solid, but it’s hard to overlook the fact that the only true top-tier names left on LIV are Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Smith.

Then, there is the other side of the coin. LIV’s Adelaide tournament couldn’t look more different. Australians have flocked to The Grange Golf Club for the last three years like it’s a national holiday.

Adelaide has been a phenomenon. Proof that Aussie fans turn up for great sporting events. LIV Adelaide was voted the World Golf Awards’ “World’s Best Golf Event” in 2023 and 2024, and earned the title again for a third straight year in 2025.

The inaugural 2023 tournament drew 77,076 spectators (40 per cent of tickets were sold to out-of-state or overseas buyers) and in February 2025, a record-breaking crowd of over 102,000 attended over three days.

What LIV Golf has done well in Adelaide is build the event around our own stars. Cam Smith leads the Ripper GC squad, and all credit to the local lads and a large portion of the international acts; they have consistently gone above and beyond to engage fans.

The blueprint is simple, but effective. A few rounds of world-class golf, plus a carnival atmosphere, equals an unforgettable weekend. Fans at Adelaide have been treated to concerts, beer gardens and a genuinely world-class event.

Jon Rahm has committed to LIV ... for now. PHOTO: Getty Images.

Chase Koepka’s ace on the par‐3 12th (the so‐called “Watering Hole”) famously sent beer cups flying and lit up social media in 2023, before Patrick Reed did it again in 2025. The show on and off the course has delivered exactly what officials promised.

So where does that leave LIV Golf? On the one hand, losing Reed and Koepka is the kind of wound that most sports enterprises can survive, but it comes at a cost. It drains media attention, complicates sponsorships and ultimately disenchants the fan base.

It’s hard to see where the Tour goes if more names jump off the bus. On the other hand, Adelaide has always been a shining exception – a reminder that the league has all the tools to create something beyond special.

That dual reality leaves us with a head-scratching prospect.

The bigger question is whether the rest of LIV can capture Adelaide’s magic – because dominoes starting to fall could mean the tour is on borrowed time. But as long as The Grange fairways are swarmed by cheering fans, there’s still sunlight in the LIV narrative, even if the dark clouds might be rolling in.