The future of LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed league that once promised to revolutionize professional golf, has been thrown into sharp uncertainty following a week of dramatic developments and candid admissions from its leadership. As reports swirl about the imminent withdrawal of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) support, CEO Scott O’Neil has been left to reassure fans, staff, and players that the league will press ahead—at least through the end of the 2026 season.
O’Neil, speaking during Thursday’s LIV event in Mexico City, was forthright about the league’s current financial runway. “The reality is you’re funded through the season and then you work like crazy to create a business plan to keep us going,” O’Neil told TNT Sports, a statement that was initially broadcast and then curiously edited out in a subsequent repost by the network. The move only fueled speculation that the PIF—the financial engine behind LIV’s $5 billion-plus outlay since 2022—was preparing to cut ties after 2026. O’Neil, for his part, has refused to directly address the withdrawal rumors, instead doubling down on optimism. “LIV Golf is in the best shape it’s ever been in its history, period, end of sentence,” he declared, even as reports surfaced of delayed player payments and unpaid vendors.
The league’s precarious position follows a major shift in strategy from Saudi Arabia’s PIF. On April 15, 2026, the sovereign wealth fund announced a new five-year plan, prioritizing domestic investments and signaling a retreat from high-profile international sports ventures. Notably, LIV Golf was not mentioned at all in the PIF’s official statement. The fund’s pivot also saw the sale of a 70% stake in Al Hilal, one of Saudi Arabia’s premier soccer clubs, and a cooling of interest in hosting events like the WTA Finals beyond this year.
This strategic about-face has left LIV’s marquee stars—Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, and others—scrambling for clarity. These golfers, who defected from the PGA Tour for the promise of guaranteed contracts and record purses, now find themselves in limbo. As one columnist put it, “The Saudis don’t give a damn if they leave athletes scrambling and confused because they already got their money’s worth from dupes like Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. Rich dupes. But dupes, nonetheless.”
LIV’s initial mission, according to critics, was never about challenging the PGA Tour or fostering innovation in golf. Instead, it was about “sportswashing”—using glitzy, big-money events to distract from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s controversial human rights record, including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the continued oppression of dissidents, women, and the LGBTQ community. The league’s gaudy team names, flashy presentation, and 54-hole format were designed to grab attention, but ultimately failed to capture a sustainable audience. As one observer noted, “Not enough people wanted to go to the events. Even fewer wanted to watch on TV.”
Despite these headwinds, O’Neil remains bullish. In a memo to staff, he promised the 2026 season would continue at “full throttle.” He also outlined a vision for the league’s future that includes a shift in strategy: less focus on luring big-name stars and more on building “World Cup-style” teams based on player nationality. “You can bet that you’ll more likely have more international players and bet on young talent,” O’Neil said. “I like young, and then we’ll have a little more experienced guys that represent the country that we’re playing.” He described national opens as “the most underappreciated, undermarketed and underdeveloped assets in golf.”
Financially, O’Neil projects that 10 of LIV’s 13 teams and four of its 14 events will be profitable in 2026—a bold claim given the league’s history of extravagant spending, including $30 million prize funds per tournament. Still, he acknowledged the need to raise money. “This notion of, 'Do you have to raise money?' Probably. This is business. But if we keep the trajectory going the way we are and the revenue growth going, this is going to be a really good business for a really long time.”
Amid the turmoil, players like Jon Rahm appear unfazed. “For me, it didn’t make sense to think about it or waste time thinking about [it],” Rahm told reporters. “Since everything happened so suddenly and so quickly, I wasn’t very worried about it because normally, before the rumors start, we already know something—there’s always someone within the league who knows something. It happened so fast that I really didn’t worry about it.”
However, the uncertainty has only fueled speculation about the future of LIV’s biggest stars. Bryson DeChambeau, whose contract expires at the end of 2026, recently rejected a PGA Tour offer to return under a new member program. O’Neil remains “pretty confident we’ll find a solution” to keep DeChambeau in the fold, but the league’s unstable future has heightened the intrigue surrounding his next move.
Complicating matters further, LIV Golf and the PIF are now facing a lawsuit from the World Golf Group and the Premier Golf League, which had previously tried to launch a rival circuit with a similar team-based, high-purse format. Details of the lawsuit, filed in London’s Commercial Court, remain scarce, but it adds another layer of uncertainty to an already tumultuous situation.
Meanwhile, local organizers are seeking clarity on upcoming events. Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois has asked LIV Golf for confirmation that its scheduled tournament at Bayou Oaks at City Park in New Orleans from June 25-28 will proceed as planned. The league, which has eight tournaments left this season—including five in the United States—has yet to provide public assurances.
As the dust settles, one thing is clear: LIV Golf’s future is more uncertain than ever. The league that once threatened to upend the professional golf landscape now faces a fight for survival, with its fate hanging on its ability to secure new funding and reimagine its business model. Whether O’Neil’s optimism will be enough to carry LIV into a new era—or if this marks the beginning of the end for the controversial experiment—remains to be seen. For now, the golf world watches and waits, wondering what’s next for the sport’s most polarizing league.