LIV Golf poised to inform players that Saudi funding will end this year

LIV Golf executives are poised to confirm to players that Saudi Arabia’s funding of the circuit will cease at the end of 2026, in a move that will begin a scramble between some leading names in the sport to return to traditional tours.

Without an alternative and unlikely funding source from 2027 onwards, LIV in its current form is staring at closure just four years on from staging its first tournament. Nothing has materially changed for LIV in recent weeks yet formal admission of an upcoming Saudi exit will be viewed as a key moment in a disruption story that is heading towards a messy finale.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund, which has ploughed more than $5bn (£3.7bn) into LIV, informed the tour’s management of a change in approach during meetings in New York immediately after the conclusion of this month’s Masters. The conflict in the Middle East has been cited at least in part for that stance. Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of the PIF and a champion of LIV since inception, is no longer understood to be be playing a key role in the breakaway tour’s future. Instead, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has insisted upon a general shift in strategy which directly affects LIV given its reliance on PIF cash.

Scott O’Neil, LIV’s chief executive, was publicly bullish during a subsequent tournament but vague about finance post-2026. O’Neil had hoped to convince the PIF to retain faith with LIV. The Wall Street Journal first reported O’Neil will hold meetings with players and staff on Thursday, outlining in detail the PIF reversal and the obvious black hole that will create. O’Neil will hope that frees him up to hold talks with potential investors but the outlook for LIV appears grim.

Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith are among major winners who are contracted to LIV, having signed deals collectively worth hundreds of millions. Players will inevitably want to know whether they are permitted to walk away from those deals and begin negotiations aimed at a return to the PGA Tour. However, any such talks will inevitably be complicated – the PGA Tour is not only in an increasingly strong bargaining position but must be seen to apply reasonable sanctions to returning players to appease members who did not switch to LIV.

Next week, LIV Golf Virginia is due to be staged at Trump National Golf Club north-west of Washington DC. LIV has postponed a planned stop in Louisiana in June.