LIV Golf chief provides major update on future of controversial tour as Saudis ponder pulling funding

Jack Otway
Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:06:11 +0000

LIV Golf's chief executive Scott O'Neil moved to dismiss mounting concerns over the breakaway league's financial stability on Wednesday, issuing an internal communication to employees confirming the 2026 campaign would proceed without disruption.

The memo came after a day dominated by reports that Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund might be preparing to withdraw its financial support from the venture.

"I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle," O'Neil stated.

He added: "While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the grass."

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The reassurance arrives as LIV Golf Mexico begins today at Chapultepec Golf Club.

The Saudi-backed circuit has burned through approximately £3.9bn since its June 2022 launch, according to figures published by the newsletter Money in Sport in February, with projections suggesting expenditure would exceed £4.42bn by year's end.

When LIV Golf burst onto the scene, it distributed around £737m in signing bonuses alone to lure some of the PGA Tour's most prominent names, including Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm.

This year, prize money for individual competitors and the league's 13 teams was increased to £22.1m.

However, the memo left unanswered questions about how long the funding pipeline would remain open.

Speculation about LIV's future intensified following the Public Investment Fund's announcement of a new five-year investment strategy for 2026-30, which emphasised "sustained value creation" and "maximising impact" over rapid expansion.

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PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the driving force behind LIV Golf, acknowledged to the Financial Times that the U.S.-Israel war against Iran "would add more pressure to reposition some priorities."

The strategy was formulated before the conflict began.

Meanwhile, the league has experienced notable departures, with Brooks Koepka returning to the PGA Tour this year under certain conditions.

Patrick Reed has also exited, opting for a DP World Tour schedule, and is expected to regain PGA Tour eligibility in 2027 through the points system.

One anonymous player revealed that Al-Rumayyan had met with competitors during the first week of March in Hong Kong, assuring them funding was secured until 2032.

O'Neil reportedly arrived in Mexico City on Wednesday to address players directly.

DeChambeau enters the tournament seeking to become the first LIV competitor to claim three consecutive victories, having won the previous two events in playoffs.

The two-time US Open champion failed to make the cut at last week's Masters.

"The life of a startup movement is often defined by these moments of pressure," O'Neil wrote. "We signed up for this because we believe in disrupting the status quo."

He concluded by describing LIV staff as "pioneers" navigating an uneven road towards a worthwhile destination.