It’s on to Plan B for LIV Golf.
The rebel golf league plans to tell players and staff on that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is officially pulling its funding at the end of the season, according to The Wall Street Journal, ending weeks of speculation.
The Saudis have reportedly spent nearly $6 billion (A$8.4bn) on LIV Golf, allowing it to pull in some of the sport’s biggest names at astronomical nine-figure salaries amid accusations of the country “sportswashing” its image.
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The league must find a way to replace the massive investment, a near-impossible task even with outside financing, per the NY Post.
The league struggled to gain a foothold with its team play and shortened tournament format, and lost a reported $1.1 billion from 2022-24 as a merger with the rival PGA Tour never came to fruition.
LIV shelled out exorbitant amounts to draw in stars like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, who now must determine their futures.
Questions will also be asked of the South Australian government, which will start work on a $45 million redevelopment of the North Adelaide public golf course to have it ready to host the LIV Golf event in 2028.
LIV events in Adelaide have been held at The Grange Golf Club.
PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp indicated to the Wall Street Journal that a pathway for players to return to the tour won’t necessarily be easy.
“There were rules, and they were broken,” he said before the news about LIV’s financing. “With rules comes accountability.”
Earlier this year, Brooks Koepka returned to the PGA Tour through a one-time returning member program that came with a hefty price tag, costing him up to $90 million in charitable donations and forfeited bonuses and equity.
Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, also quit LIV to come back to the PGA Tour as part of the PGA’s Returning Member Program.
Australia’s Cameron Smith did not take up the one-time initiative and has said he is happy to see out his contract at LIV. Smith’s form has cratered since joining the rebel tour — he has missed the cut at the past six majors.
However, PGA player returns appear to be treated on a case-by-case basis.
“I don’t necessarily have scar tissue, but there are plenty of people around our tour who do,” Rolapp said. “It has to be accounted for in some shape or form.”
As rumours swirled regarding its financial backing, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil spent the past few weeks attempting to put out fires, while other LIV-affiliated personnel attempted to admonish those reporting on the turmoil.
LIV Golf broadcasters Arlo White and David Feherty used time during the LIV Golf Mexico City broadcast to take a swipe, with White saying at one point, “It must be exhausting trying to will the LIV Golf league out of existence.”
Earlier this month, O’Neil sent an email to staffers that pushed back on reports the league’s folding was imminent. “I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle,” O’Neil wrote at the time.
LIV Golf suffered another black eye this month when it “postponed” a June event slated for New Orleans.
Officially, a joint statement by LIV Golf and the state of Louisiana indicated the decision was related to concerns over the summer heat and course conditions, but local golf leaders questioned that in a story published by Sports Illustrated on Wednesday.
“The notion that it’s in poor condition is not going by the facts at all,” J.T. Hannan, a New Orleans local involved in the city’s golf scene, told the outlet.
Players have seemingly begun making inquiries on fallback plans; Today’s Golfer reported Tuesday that “several” players “sounded out the DP World Tour.
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who founded LIV Golf nearly five years ago alongside Greg Norman, has stepped down as chairman of the league’s board, per people familiar.
This article originally appeared in the NY Post and was reproduced with permission.
