The tumultuous times for the LIV Golf Tour are reportedly nowhere close to over.
Earlier this year, reports broke that the Saudi Arabia-controlled Public Investment Fund (PIF) would cease funding for LIV Golf at the end of the 2026 season. That set off a firestorm of speculation, debate and concern over the future of the breakaway tour. And the postponement of a scheduled tournament in late June in Louisiana.
Some golfers have committed to staying with LIV, as long as the tour continues to function, and avoiding a return to the PGA Tour. Others have remained cagey with their future plans, either avoiding a concrete statement one way or another, or in the case of Bryson DeChambeau, saying he would consider moving to his YouTube golf channel full time, should LIV collapse.
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil has consistently claimed that he’s been in meetings with interested investors, and downplayed concerns about the upcoming schedule. Though he raised eyebrows again in a recent interview when asked about the ability for LIV to put on its remaining four tournaments without the Saudis injecting more money into the organization.
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“I can say that they’ve been terrific partners so far,” O’Neil said, referring to the PIF and the Saudis. “You have to take an incredible organization like PIF at their word, and they’ve been very public about funding us through the season. We are full steam ahead, the players are locked in, the management team is locked in.”
But a new report from the Financial Times has once again stated that there’s no guarantee LIV is able to complete the schedule. According to its report, LIV received approximately $66 million from the PIF in May, followed by $130 million in June. But the tour is reportedly owed a whopping $400 million in order to fund player contracts, operating costs and purses for the upcoming tournaments.
Funding has reportedly already been secured for the LIV Golf UK event at JCB Golf & Country Club in late July. As well as for the event at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. But the tournaments in Indiana and Michigan for late August may be reliant on the $400 million in funding from the PIF.
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Obviously the PIF has the money, as one of the largest and richest investment funds in the world. But there may be some consideration that it’s not worth continuing to fund these final events without much return. $400 million is still an enormous sum of money, regardless of who’s spending it.
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When directly asked to confirm that the final four events would take place as scheduled, O’Neil refused to answer.
“What I can guarantee is that there is a heck of a return if you come and invest in this business,” he responded.
Should that prove to be the case, there’s another issue to be concerned with: if new backers won’t fund the tour to the same level as the PIF, would players be able to get out of their contracts based on guaranteed $25 million purses?
There’s plenty to be determined, and it’s certainly possible that LIV comes out the other side of this with new funding and the same players. But with the revelation that it needs $400 million to keep the season going, you can see why O’Neil was evasive. And why so many of the players have been evasive with their future plans as well.
