The question of whether LIV Golf will endure as a professional tour — or whether it will even survive the weekend — continues to dominate the golf world. Throughout Wednesday, multiple media outlets reported that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is potentially withdrawing its investment in the breakaway tour.
However, a source with knowledge of LIV Golf’s operations told Yahoo Sports late Wednesday afternoon that “LIV Golf funding and operations continue as scheduled.”
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Earlier Wednesday, Sergio Garcia told assembled media that “sincerely we haven’t heard anything” regarding any possible shutdown of LIV operations. Garcia is the only individual on any side of the story to go on record with a statement; all others have been on background or via anonymous sources.
LIV Golf, which began in 2022 with a seismic splash, briefly upended the entire golf world. Many of golf’s top stars, including Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson left the PGA Tour for LIV’s massive paychecks.
But LIV has never been able to command significant viewing audiences through three-plus seasons. While some of its on-the-ground efforts are successful, including events in South Africa and Australia, the entity as a whole has lost significant sums of Saudi Arabia’s money. As the PIF looks to realign its economic and strategic goals, LIV Golf may simply be a cost the sovereign fund is no longer willing to carry.
Meanwhile, Yahoo Sports has obtained an email LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil sent to staff that included the following paragraphs:
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“I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle. (Emphasis in original.) While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the grass. We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organization that is bigger, louder, and more influential than ever before,” O’Neil wrote.
“The life of a startup movement is often defined by these moments of pressure. We signed up for this because we believe in disrupting the status quo. We have faced headwinds since the jump, and we’ve answered every time with resilience and grace. Now, we answer by doing what we do best: putting on the most compelling show in sports.”
O’Neil closed with an exhortation to his staff: “Lean into this moment. The noise you hear is simply the sound of a movement that is working. Embrace it. We are pioneers, and while the road isn’t always smooth, the destination is worth every mile. Let’s go out and show the world why LIV Golf is the future of the game.”
Worth noting: the email to staff ended with the lines “Let’s go out and show the world why LIV Golf is the future of the game. It matters. You mattered. (Emphasis added.)” Whether that was a typo or a prior version of the email, the past tense is a curious one in this instance.
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LIV Golf officials point to the tour’s recent successes, including galleries of 115,000 for Australia and 100,000 for South America, along with sponsor partnerships including Rolex, Callaway and Under Armour. O’Neil has said that 10 of LIV Golf’s 13 teams will be profitable in 2026.
The LIV Golf Mexico City event is scheduled to begin at 3:15 p.m. ET on Thursday.
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