LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil Says 2026 Season Will Continue Amid Saudi PIF Funding Uncertainty

LIV Golf’s future is being tested by reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) may pull financial support, with multiple outlets describing a fast-moving uncertainty that has reached players and staff.

The BBC frames the situation as speculation intensifying that “Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is set to pull financial support,” putting “the future of a tour which has relied on more than $5bn (£3.7bn) from the Gulf state” into “severe doubt.”

AL

In parallel, Sky Sports reports that LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil sent a memo to staff insisting the 2026 season would continue “uninterrupted” and “at full throttle,” after “a long day of reports suggesting Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund was on the verge of cutting its financial backing.”

Reuters-backed reporting in Golfweek says sources close to the matter told Reuters that “LIV Golf's remaining nine events are fully funded,” pushing back against reports of imminent collapse.

NBC News similarly says O’Neil sought to quell speculation with a memo stating the 2026 season will continue “without interruption and “at full throttle.”

Across the coverage, the core question is whether LIV can keep operating if PIF support changes, and how quickly that would affect the schedule that is already underway.

The dispute over LIV’s stability is tied to the scale of PIF investment, the tour’s losses, and the timeline for funding that different reports describe.

The BBC says LIV “has relied on more than $5bn (£3.7bn) from the Gulf state,” and adds that “The overall investment surpassed $5bn (£3.8bn) when fresh capital of $266.7m was injected earlier this year.”

BBC

It also reports that “LIV's net losses in markets outside the US increased to $462m (£340m) in 2024,” and that the tour had “lost more than $1.1bn (£810m) since it was established in 2021.”

The BBC further notes that “Players were told last month that funding was in place until 2032,” while “well-placed figures in European golf have told BBC Sport they believe PIF is withdrawing its financial support.”

Sky Sports and NBC News both describe the memo language as a direct response to the funding uncertainty, with Sky Sports saying O'Neil’s message was sent to the Associated Press and that “Left unclear was how long the funding would last for LIV Golf.”

Front Office Sports adds a different set of numbers and projections, saying LIV “now paying out $33 million weekly purses,” while also stating that “The PIF’s total spending on the league is projected to surpass $6 billion by the end of this year.”

LIV’s leadership and players have responded to the funding rumors with repeated insistence that the schedule will continue, even as some players say they lack clarity on longer-term support.

“LIV Golf was supposed to be the breakaway tour that changed golf as we know it”

BBC

The BBC reports that LIV chief executive Scott O'Neil insisted it was “business as usual” in a “tubthumping email to staff,” quoting O'Neil’s line: “Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.”

Sky Sports similarly quotes O'Neil in a memo, saying “I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle,” and it adds that the memo followed reports of an “emergency meeting” in New York described by The Daily Telegraph and a Financial Times report that PIF was “on the verge of cutting its support.”

Golfweek and NBC News both repeat the same core message from O’Neil, with Golfweek quoting the email seen by Reuters: “Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.”

At Chapultepec Golf Club in Mexico, Sky Sports reports that Sergio Garcia said, “Honestly, we aren't going to listen to anything except for what Yasir [Al-Rumayyan, LIV Golf chairman] told us as the start of the year, that he is behind us, that they have a project for many years,” and Garcia added, “As you know, there are always a lot of rumours. I can't tell you anything more than we already know.”

Front Office Sports quotes PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp saying, “interested in doing whatever makes the PGA Tour better. Fans want the best players playing together,” and Rolapp added, “I don’t know what the circumstances are.”

The reporting diverges on how close LIV is to a shutdown, with some outlets emphasizing imminent risk while others cite sources saying the remaining schedule is funded.

The BBC describes “speculation intensifying” that PIF may pull support and says European golf figures believe LIV “will not continue past this year,” while also noting that O’Neil’s email focused on 2026 and did not address what might lie ahead.

CBS Sports

Sky Sports says “there is confusion among players, who are seeking reassurances,” and it reports that none of the team captains had been informed of any imminent announcement.

Golfweek, citing sources close to the matter told Reuters, says “LIV Golf's remaining nine events are fully funded” and that “the remaining nine tournaments of the 14-event schedule would go ahead as planned.”

NBC News similarly reports that O’Neil’s memo said the 2026 season will continue “without interruption,” while Golf Channel says O’Neil told players and personnel that reports of imminent shutdown are “false,” and that the tour was “100% funded through the rest of the year.”

At the same time, Fox News describes the Financial Times report as saying the PIF is “on the verge of cutting its support,” and it adds that an announcement could come “as soon as Thursday,” while also describing a message on X from a player’s agent that Mohammed bin Salman could use the ongoing war in Iran as a “force majeure” to cut off LIV’s funding.

The stakes for LIV are not only financial but also tied to how players could return to the PGA Tour or DP World Tour if the league’s funding situation changes.

Front Office Sports lays out three questions, starting with whether LIV Golf Members could return to the PGA Tour, and it quotes PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp saying, “Once there’s clarity, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But we’re clearly not there yet.”

Daily Express

It also says Brooks Koepka was able to immediately rejoin the PGA Tour as the first participant in the “Returning Member Program,” which was also made available to LIV’s Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Cam Smith, while noting that “no one else accepted the offer, and the program is not currently open.”

Front Office Sports adds that Patrick Reed is set to rejoin the PGA Tour as early as August, after it has been one year since his most recent LIV start, and it says that one-year ban would likely be what most LIV players would face if they want to get back on the PGA Tour.

On the question of whether LIV could continue with new investors, Front Office Sports says LIV is paying out “$33 million weekly purses,” and it describes the league reviewing strategic options for minority stake sales in “at least two of the league’s thirteen teams,” with Citigroup as “exclusive adviser.”

It also quotes an anonymous PE executive saying, “Can’t imagine anyone would touch it,” if PIF ends funding, while the BBC notes O'Neil said earlier this year the tour would not be profitable for another 5-10 years.