LIV staring at closure in absence of alternative funds
Leading names expected to eye return to main tours
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.
