LIV Golf chiefs are set to inform players by Thursday that Saudi Arabia will no longer fund the rebel tour after this season, according to reports.
The Saudi-backed league was thrown into chaos earlier this month following shock claims that it could be scrapped, with execs meeting in New York City for an emergency summit.
Reports later emerged which cooled talk of an immediate collapse, instead confirming that LIV will continue to run as planned for the 2026 campaign, with CEO Scott O’Neil sending an email to employees reassuring them about the company’s future.
However, the Daily Mail reported on April 17 that multiple players and agents on the tour believe Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) will only continue bankrolling it until the conclusion of the current season in Michigan on August 30.
And now The Wall Street Journal claims LIV has officially lost PIF funding for beyond this season, with players and staff to be delivered the bad news by Thursday.
Earlier this month, O’Neill said the league has funding for 2026 but offered no guarantees on its survival beyond that.
LIV Golf players are set to be told that the tour’s Saudi-funding will not continue next season
The likes of Bryson DeChambeau (pictured) will be devastated after hearing the bad news
‘The reality is that you’re funded through the season, and then you work like crazy as a business to create a business and a business plan to keep us going,’ he told TNT Sports at LIV’s recent tournament in Mexico.
‘But that’s not different from any other private equity-funded business in the history of mankind.’
Saudi’s PIF has pumped almost $6billion into LIV since 2022, with $30m alone paid out in prize money for each event.
According to Forbes, the tour has posted cumulative losses of more than $1.4bn since its 2021 founding.
Daily Mail recently reported that LIV is holding out hope of securing new funds through private equity, yet it is nearly impossible to envisage it surviving without some level of Saudi backing, or a dramatic reduction in prize money.
One of LIV’s top players, Bryson DeChambeau, reportedly held talks about leaving during the Masters, with the American said to be demanding up to $500m to stay with the embattled breakaway.
DeChaumbeau is in the final season of his contract and, according to The Athletic, he and his team spent some of Masters week meeting with golf officials to talk about his options – should he choose to leave LIV.
LIV CEO Scott O’Neil claimed the tour was assured of funding through the end of the year
He left the PGA Tour on a four-and-a-half-year deal worth a reported $125m and is understood to expect up to half a billion to re-sign.
News of DeChambeau’s demands emerged after several high-profile defections from LIV, with both Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka heading back to the PGA Tour.
Players who defected to join LIV from the PGA Tour will not necessarily be welcomed back with open arms, however.
‘There were rules, and they were broken,’ PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp said Wednesday. ‘With rules comes accountability.’
DeChambeau also had the opportunity to jump ship earlier this year through the Returning Member Program but reportedly declined.
The Athletic claims that DeChambeau – already one of golf’s most recognizable figures – even cited his successful YouTube channel during negotiations with interested parties.
