A formal announcement on LIV Golf’s future funding will be made today, with Saudi Arabia set to pull their financing of the rebel tour after this season.
A player call was held this morning, with confirmation of funding plans expected to be made at midday, according to LIV sources.
LIV Golf captains had been informed of plans on Wednesday.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), is also set to depart as LIV Golf chair.
Two new board members will be announced today, coinciding with Al-Rumayyan’s departure.
A reduction from 14 tournaments has been considered among the potential strategies considered by LIV Golf following Saudi Arabia’s decision to pull funding.
A formal announcement on LIV Golf’s future funding will be made today, with Saudi Arabia set to pull their financing of the rebel tour
Jon Rahm was among the leading names lured to LIV Golf, but now could face a battle to return to the PGA Tour
Captains of Liv Golf teams, including Dustin Johnson, were informed of plans on Tuesday
The Saudi-backed league was thrown into chaos earlier this month following shock claims that it could be scrapped, with executives meeting in New York City for an emergency summit.
LIV chief executive Scott O’Neil later sent an email to employees reassuring them about the company’s future, while stressing the season will continue to run as planned for the 2026 campaign.
Daily Mail Sport reported on April 17 that multiple players and agents on the tour believed Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund would only continue bankrolling it until the conclusion of the current season in Michigan on August 30.
Saudi’s PIF has pumped almost $6billion into LIV since 2022, with $30m alone paid out in prize money for each event.
Daily Mail Sport recently reported that LIV is holding out hope of securing new funds through private equity, yet it is nearly impossible to envisage it surviving without some level of Saudi backing, or a dramatic reduction in prize money.
One of LIV’s top players, Bryson DeChambeau, has reportedly held talks about leaving during the Masters, with the American said to be demanding up to $500m to stay with the embattled breakaway.
He left the PGA Tour on a four-and-a-half-year deal worth a reported $125m and is understood to expect up to half a billion to re-sign.
News of DeChambeau’s demands emerged after several high-profile defections from LIV, with both Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka heading back to the PGA Tour.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, right, is set to stand down as LIV Golf chair
Players who defected to join LIV from the PGA Tour will not necessarily be welcomed back with open arms, however.
‘There were rules, and they were broken,’ PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp said Wednesday. ‘With rules comes accountability.’
DeChambeau also had the opportunity to jump ship earlier this year through the Returning Member Program but reportedly declined.
Koepka, a five-time major winner, had announced in December his intention to walk away from Liv Golf and return to the PGA Tour.
He accepted what the PGA Tour described as ‘severe and justified consequences’ under their Returning Member Program, accepting fines and making a $5 million charitable contribution.
The scheme was open to any golfer who had won a major or the Players Championship between 2022 and 2025, which meant Rahm, DeChambeau and Cameron Smith were eligible.
Players were set a February 2 deadline to apply.
