LIV golfer acknowledges league's future 'not looking great'

Carlos Ortiz admitted Friday that the future of LIV Golf looks bleak, now that the Saudi group that bankrolled it said it will stop paying the bills.

"It's looking a little bit tough, hopefully there's a way forward," Ortiz said following his second round at the BMW International Open in Germany, a stop on the DP World Tour.

"I mean, I honestly don't know all the situation, but it's not looking great, obviously, as we all know. That's a shame. I've really enjoyed my time playing all around the world and it's been awesome playing with my team."

Ortiz, a 35-year-old from Mexico, has one LIV Golf win (LIV Golf Houston, 2024) and one PGA Tour victory (Houston Open, 2020). He joined LIV in 2022.

He said Friday that should LIV cease operations after the 2026 season, he knows he will come through just fine.

"We'll see what happens, you know, but whatever happens, I'm sure I'll find a place to play and, for me, it's just about playing golf," said Ortiz, a member of the LIV team Torque GC. "If I can start coming to places like this and seeing new places, then it will be great. For me, whatever happens is totally fine."

After 36 holes at the Golfclub Munchen Eichenried in Munich, Ortiz was in a three-way tie for second place on Friday at 10-under after back-to-back rounds of 67, one shot behind the leader.

Joaquin Niemann of Chile, captain of Torque GC, struck a much more hopeful tone when he spoke on Friday. He told bunkered.co.uk that he plans to honor his LIV commitment in 2027.

"I know for sure he (Scott O'Neil, LIV CEO) is doing the best job he can to raise the money and keep getting the product that we have -- which I think is the best," Niemann, 27, said.

"Coming and seeing the difference on DP (World Tour) to what LIV has, LIV is great. But, yeah, hopefully we can get the money and please the fans who hope we keep going."

--Field Level Media