LIV Golf: Saudi Arabia to withdraw funding at end of season
Al-Rumayyan co-founded LIV in 2021 and became the tour’s most powerful figure.
This week, LIV postponed its June event in New Orleans; This means no tournaments will be held in the US between May 10 and August 6, when Trump travels to Bedminster in New Jersey.
BBC Sport has been told that LIV is hopeful of pursuing an international tour with a team model and is in “constructive” talks with potential investors.
Executives are exploring a range of opportunities to “reposition” the business, sources said. They said LIV Golf will earn $100m (£86m) more in 2026 than last season.
But officials acknowledge the series will likely have to be significantly scaled back, with far fewer events.
Team captains have been warned that the company will announce plans to find new financial backers on Thursday.
LIV declined to comment.
This month, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil told players that the 2026 season would continue “as planned and uninterrupted” amid rumors that the tour was on the verge of collapse, but did not address what might happen next.
This comes as PIF announced a new strategy focusing on more sustainable investments.
The LIV project, which switched to a more traditional 72-hole format this year, was funded with an eye-popping amount of money from PIF.
Players competing on the tour include major winners Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Cameron Smith.
With $267m (£229m) of new capital injected this year, total investment has exceeded $5bn (£3.8bn).
The tour’s net loss in markets outside the US has risen to $462 million (£340 million) in 2024, meaning the tour has lost more than $1.1 billion (£810 million) since its launch in 2021.
With large amounts of money being pumped into the US arm of the operation, losses are likely to reach several billion dollars.
PIF has been approached for comment.
