LIV Golf, the pro golf league backed by Saudi Arabia that was meant to rival the PGA Tour, is in limbo because the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund pulled financial backing after the 2026 season.
LIV was billed as the cool, modern, team-based, 54-hole golf league with a lot of cash from Saudi Arabia. At the time of its creation in 2021, it seemed too good to be true. Five years later, it’s on life support as tournaments have been postponed — and a scale-back effort is in place as the CEO tries to keep the business going for another year by looking for new investors.
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil spoke publicly Tuesday at Trump National D.C. for the first time since the news broke that funding was going away. O’Neil kept his tone positive, saying he feels ready for the moment and is prepared to tackle the financial uncertainty behind his league.
“This moment for me … I understand uncertainty is difficult for some people, and I understand that not knowing what tomorrow brings can be a challenge,” O’Neil said. “This is 100 percent what I love to do, this moment. Everybody is meant for a certain thing in their life. I believe this is what I am meant for. I love this moment.”
The moment is intense, suddenly navigating without what seemed like an endless cash flow. O’Neil will have to restructure the business model for LIV, and that’s how the businessman is framing this next chapter — as a refresh, not a threat.
“First and foremost, we need to get the players settled, on board, and focusing on golf,” O’Neil said. “Secondly, we have to create a plan that’s a business plan, a business that works from a business standpoint, from a profit and loss standpoint, like every other business in the world, and we are well on our way to that.”
The league started with a lot of buzz after promising big checks and signing big names — including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka, among other PGA stars.
But viewership didn’t match the energy. Per Awful Announcing, for the 17 telecasts on Fox last year, LIV Golf averaged just 338,000 viewers, compared to its PGA Tour competition that averaged 2.66 million.
Koepka is back with the PGA Tour, but DeChambeau remains with LIV through his contract that ends after the 2026 season. The golf and online personality said on Tuesday that he would focus on YouTube if LIV failed. The golf star was once involved in a lawsuit with the PGA and hinted that golf’s premier league might not welcome him back with open arms.
Other LIV stars, including Jon Rahm, don’t have expiring contracts. Rahm said the LIV CEO has a “lot of hard work to do” to find funding for the league’s future, per Golf.com.
The current season isn’t in complete shambles, although a tournament set for June in New Orleans has been postponed. The tour continues in the nation’s capital this weekend before heading internationally to Korea at the end of May.
The first round of LIV Golf Virginia tees off Thursday at Trump National Golf Club.
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