LIV Golf star lost motivation despite banking | Golf News

Former LIV Golf participant Eugenio Chacarra “lost motivation” during his time on the breakaway circuit – despite amassing substantial sums of money.

LIV only gained recognition from the Official World Golf Ranking prior to the 2026 season, nicely after Chacarra’s exit. LIV’s absence of OWGR factors brought on the 26 yr previous to drop to 3,134th in the world, and he certified for only one major as a LIV participant: the 2024 U.S. Open.

As a DP World Tour competitor, Chacarra is working his approach back into rivalry. He’s climbed to 129th in the OWGR, having captured the Indian Open last yr. He also had the chance to compete in the 2025 PGA Championship, lacking the cut.

Chacarra has now seemed back on his stint with LIV in an interview with Today’s Golfer.

“Once you win out there (with LIV), as I did, your life doesn’t change that much,” said Chacarra. “You don’t get into majors, you don’t get a chance to be in the Ryder Cup, you don’t get a chance to play a lot of events. That affected me as a player, and I lost motivation.”

Chacarra is not the only participant to have jumped ship from LIV. Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka has made his return to the PGA Tour via a specifically created pathway, while 2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed is now competing on the DP World Tour.

There’s a strong risk that extra gamers will comply with go well with later this yr, after the Saudis withdrew their funding from LIV. The league’s CEO, Scott O’Neil, is at the moment searching for financial backing to keep LIV operational past 2026.

While LIV could finally secure enough funds to continue working, the league will probably need to slash its whole prize purses going ahead. This yr, each event boasts a whole prize purse of $30 million — a staggering sum for a league that is hemorrhaging money.

Consequently, LIV’s marquee stars — among them Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, and Dustin Johnson — will likely be confronted with some major selections relating to their futures in the weeks and months forward.

Some gamers, including DeChambeau, are out of contract at the end of 2026 — while others stay tied to the league for significantly longer.