Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods were right.Greg Norman and bankrupt LIV Golf have never been more wrong.Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods weren’t afraid to call out LIV GolfGettySure, the PGA Tour needed shaking up.But LIV was a bad idea from the start, poorly executed and oddly managed since its inception, and a recent voluntary filing for Chapter 11 protection in the US Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey is the most irrefutable proof to date of the break-away league’s failure.“Some of these players may not ever get a chance to play in major championships,” Woods said in 2022 at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews.“That is a possibility. We don’t know that for sure yet. It’s up to all the major championship bodies to make that determination. But that is a possibility, that some players will never, ever get a chance to play in a major championship, never get a chance to experience this right here, walk down the fairways at Augusta National. That, to me, I just don’t understand it.” It was always hard to understand LIV, which was based around the Roman numeral for 54 but later switched to a standard 72 holes after falling further and further behind the dominant PGA Tour.When you think of the PGA, you picture old-fashioned tradition and modern precision.The Masters, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, the US Open and PGA Championship, McIlroy and Woods.Even if the wondrous Masters is run by the Augusta National Golf Club, and the PGA Tour has often been an old men’s club that needed to be challenged from within. “I don’t think there has ever been any new sports league that in its first year accomplished as much as what LIV Golf has accomplished,” Norman, then-LIV Golf CEO, said in 2022. “I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished. Our long-held dream of creating a league that puts golfers and fans first has arrived. “Professional golfers are finally getting paid the way they always should have been paid. Fans are getting new and more exciting golf. The experience at our events is (like) nothing else. It’s fun and that’s the way golf should be. I can’t wait for next year.”LIV’s bankruptcy filing is a big win for the PGA TourgettyJon Rahm’s game has fallen off since joining the break-away LIV TourGettyFour years later, LIV’s bankruptcy court filing revealed $500 million to $1 billion in liabilities, and between $100m and $500m in assets.Bryson DeChambeau is owed $5.7m and his golf game has suffered while he’s become an international YouTube star.Jon Rahm is owed even more ($7.5m) and the 2023 Masters winner ended the 2025 golf season ranked No. 84 in the world.“There’s just a lot of things in place. There’s a lot of things that could happen. It’s one of those things with time, time’s going to tell,” Rahm told the BBC while preparing for this week’s Irish Open. LIV continues to insist that it’s going to continue as 1.0 evolves into 2.0. “Now it is time to enter the next phase of LIV Golf,” CEO Scott O’Neil said in a statement to fans. “Today, we took an important step forward to get there. LIV Golf has entered a court-supervised restructuring process that provides us with the time and framework to address previous financial obligations and complete a transaction that will make the League’s next phase a reality.”LIV had its high moments but has ultimately been a let downGettyThat sounds cool. But in the real world, LIV was modern sportswashing at its worst and a spectacular failure for the sport of golf. Events in New Orleans and Michigan were canceled, the purse for a tournament in Indianapolis was halved, and the state of Louisiana is reportedly owed $1.2m.LIV laid off the majority of its staff earlier this year, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund abruptly stopped funding the break-away league after pouring in $5bn. “Our events represent an opportunity to revitalize and reinvigorate golf, while helping to bring new audiences to the game,” LIV’s web site still reads. “Golf is a sport full of existing traditions. The LIV Golf League intends to create new ones through our innovative and transformational approach. We believe our new format will bring fans closer to the game and generate fresh levels of excitement for the sport.”Will anyone remember all the silly team names in a few years?The Crushers, Cleeks, Fireballs and Majesticks are pure cringe.Norman was the initial driving force behind LIV GolfGettyDeChambeau has wasted some of his best years on the course, while Brooks Koepka is still owed $1.7m and was forced to crawl back to the PGA Tour and make a $5m donation to charity.“I think it’s pretty pathetic that I can’t get through. Zero top 10s basically in two years,” said Koepka, after failing to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.“To be in the prime of your career and be as good as I think I am, I think that’s very pathetic, disappointing. Just need to go home and completely re-evaluate everything.”So does LIV.The easiest decision is just to cancel a golf tour that never made sense and always felt wrong to sports fans around the world.