LIV Golf’s New Orleans event cancelled weeks after CEO vowed season would go on ‘full throttle’
LIV Golf faces funding cut as Saudi Public Investment Fund withdraws
PGA Tour announcer Doug Bell discusses reports that the Saudi Public Investment Fund will stop funding the LIV Golf league after the current season, which would jeopardize the league’s future. LIV Golf has reported losses of between $6 billion and $9 billion since its 2021 launch, surprising many managers and players. This significant fiscal shift underscores Saudi Arabia’s broader reassessment of its investment priorities.
The LIV Golf Tour appears to be at a major turning point.
Rumors have circulated about the breakaway golf format over the last few weeks, with reports emerging that an announcement about the future of the Tour and its relationship with the Saudi Arabia-backed Public Investment Fund was imminent.
LIV CEO Scott O’Neil then confirmed that the Saudis would withdraw their financial support to LIV after the end of the 2026 season. While many thought this would mean the end of the league altogether, O’Neil told TNT Sports there is a “business plan” to keep the league going.
“The reality is you get funded during the season and then you work like crazy to create a business and create a business plan to keep us going. But this is no different than any other privately funded business in human history,” O’Neil said.
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It remains to be seen whether the league will be able to secure funding from other sources after the season, but O’Neil was adamant in an internal memo that the remainder of the 2026 season would proceed “exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.”
This is officially no longer the case.
Bryson DeChambeau reacts on the second green during day one of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City on April 16, 2026. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
LIV withdraws from upcoming event in Louisiana
Local Louisiana media outlet WDSU On Monday afternoon, it was announced that the Tour’s event in New Orleans in late June would no longer take place as planned. The report stated that an announcement could come as soon as Tuesday.
According to WDSU, the state of Louisiana postponed the event until “LIV can restructure financially and find additional funding sources.”
Athletic He reported that there are still hopes of hosting a “reimagined event in the fall” in New Orleans, but it is unclear what that event will entail. The state had already spent about $2 million to improve the Bayou Oaks golf course in City Park and paid LIV $1.2 million in hosting fees. It is reported that this 1.2 million dollars will be returned to the state.
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The cancellation of this event is undoubtedly a worrying sign for the Tour’s financial health. And it raises questions about the rest of the summer schedule. Without the Louisiana event, LIV will no longer have a tournament in Spain on June 4-7 and in the UK on July 23-26.
The next stop will be LIV Golf Virginia at Trump National Golf Club on Lowes Island May 7-10 before heading to South Korea in late May.
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Scott O’Neil attended a press conference in Johannesburg on March 22, 2026 to announce the return of LIV Golf in 2027. (Johan Rynners/Getty Images)
How this plays out over the rest of 2026, 2027 and beyond is anyone’s guess. Bryson DeChambeau’s contract, arguably LIV’s biggest contract, expires at the end of the year. Given his earnings and the promises he’s made to players like Jon Rahm, other investors will face a hefty price tag if they want to continue LIV the way it’s currently built.
The cancellation of the Louisiana event means there may be more uncertainty there than O’Neil is willing to admit.
