LIV Golf Denies Collapse Rumours, Confirms Funding for 2026
LIV Golf’s chief executive, Scott O’Neil, has firmly denied widespread reports suggesting the league is on the verge of collapse. He described such claims as “rumours” and “speculation.” On Thursday morning (AEST), several international media outlets, including The Telegraph (UK) and the Financial Times, reported that the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) was considering pulling its financial support.
Executives were seen arriving late to the LIV event in Mexico City after being called to an emergency meeting in New York. Despite these developments, O’Neil addressed staff with a message stating that the tour is “100 per cent funded through the rest of the year,” although no guarantees beyond 2026 were provided.
“I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle,” O’Neil wrote, according to ESPN. “While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the grass.”
He added, “We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organisation that is bigger, louder, and more influential than ever before. The life of a start-up movement is often defined by these moments of pressure. We signed up for this because we believe in disrupting the status quo. We have faced headwinds since the jump, and we’ve answered every time with resilience and grace.”
“Now, we must answer by doing what we do best: putting on the most compelling show in sports.”
The league also took to social media to address the news, posting: “Slow news day? We are ON.”
This weekend’s event is expected to proceed as planned, but the future beyond that remains uncertain. This uncertainty casts a shadow over the careers of Australian players such as Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Elvis Smylie, and Lucas Herbert.
LIV Golf has been funding the tour with $5 billion since its launch in 2021, aiming to revolutionise the sport. However, the league has incurred significant losses in recent years. A formal announcement from the tour is expected later on Thursday.
The news follows the PIF’s release of a five-year investment strategy that omits any mention of sport. According to The Guardian, the fund will now focus primarily on football and esports. The PIF had already announced it would end its association with women’s tennis when the current deal to host the WTA finals in Riyadh expires in November.
In Mexico City, the regular pre-tournament press conference was cancelled, though organisers attributed the absence to a power outage. Players remain in the dark about the situation, despite growing rumours during Masters week.
Sergio Garcia, who recently drew criticism for his final-round meltdown at Augusta, said he knew nothing more than what was reported in the media.
“Honestly, we aren’t going to listen to anything except for what (LIV Golf chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan) told us as the start of the year, that he is behind us, that they have a project for many years,” he said in Spanish. “As you know, there are always a lot of rumours. I can’t tell you anything more than we already know.”
Despite the challenges, the Australian event held at The Grange in Adelaide has drawn large crowds. However, LIV Golf has struggled to gain traction elsewhere globally and still lacks a major television broadcast deal.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas recently announced that the SA Government had extended its hosting agreement for the event through 2031. The announcement also included plans to redevelop the North Adelaide Golf Club, which would then take over as the host venue.
LIV stars had a disastrous showing at Augusta, with Tyrrell Hatton’s third-place finish being the only highlight. Bryson DeChambeau made a triple bogey on the 18th in the second round and missed the cut by a stroke. Cameron Smith, meanwhile, failed to make the weekend for the fifth straight major.
