LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed golf league alternative to the PGA Tour launched in 2021, is midway through the 2026 season, but there have been rumours that Saudi Arabia may stop funding the league. The Daily Telegraph and Financial Times both reported this week that the Public Investment Fund was on the verge of cutting its support and that the executives had been summoned to an emergency meeting.
Scott O'Neil, LIV Golf CEO, assured to employees in a memo that nothing will change: "I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle. 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 organisation that is bigger, louder, and more influential than ever before."
"We signed up for this because we believe in disrupting the status quo", O'Neil continued, and according to Reuters, Saudi Arabia will continue with the full backing of the golf league, and the season will continue: there are nine remaining tournaments of in the 14-event schedule, with this week's event taking place in Mexico.
The LIV Golf still atracts big names in the golf world, but they have recently lost two notable names, Brooks Koepka, winner of five majors, and Patrick Reed, winner of the Masters of Augusta. But the prize fund for 2026 season increased to 30 million dollars, and has expanded to 13 teams.