After months of uncertainty, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil finally announced last week that the league had secured an unnamed investor to help keep it afloat heading into 2027. After all, Saudi Arabia’s PIF, which bankrolled LIV’s launch, abruptly pulled its funding earlier this year. But just when LIV appeared to have found a lifeline, two-time major champion Dustin Johnson offered a revealing glimpse into the league’s new financial reality.
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“I mean, I still think there’s a lot of moving parts,” Johnson told Garrett Johnston via NCLR Golf. “Obviously that’s really good news. I missed the meetings yesterday, so I really don’t have a whole lot of information. But I mean, yeah, obviously I think it was a great product, and I’d love to see it continue. So hopefully that’s the case.”
Johnson isn’t wrong about all “the moving parts.” Despite O’Neil’s announcement, he refused to name who the investor is or how much money is coming in. Although players can now become majority equity holders, the deal is yet to be finalized. Besides, even if LIV Golf doesn’t survive next year, Dustin Johnson has benefited massively from it.
Having joined in 2022, Johnson has made over $125 million. When he was asked what he would do if LIV Golf no longer exists next year, Johnson offered little reassurance. Speaking after his second round of the major championship, the two-time major winner admitted he had “no f—— idea right now,” saying his focus was entirely on the tournament ahead.
Johnson, of course, is indefinitely suspended and ineligible to play on the PGA Tour after resigning his membership and joining LIV Golf. However, he remains eligible for select DP World Tour and Asian Tour events through tournament invites or specific conditional releases. He will have to pay fines, however.
In an interview with Today’s Golfer, Johnson told Ben Parsons, “I don’t see me going anywhere else. I’m happy playing right where I’m at.” While he admitted he would be open to playing a few events on the PGA Tour, he reiterated that he enjoys competing on LIV and traveling the world, adding that he is “very happy” with where he is currently.
But if he were forced to do so by LIV’s potential closure, Johnson doesn’t have the option to pursue the PGA Tour’s ‘Returning Members Program,’ which allowed Brooks Koepka to return to the American tour. He can sit out a designated waiting period and return through standard past-champion eligibility, like Patrick Reed.
Johnson’s comments about LIV’s new funding came after The Telegraph reported that Jon Rahm, who Monday Q Info reported could still be owed upward of $150 million, may not stick around for LIV’s 2027 season. Not to mention, LIV is “almost resigned” to the Spaniard heading out the door. Like Johnson, he won’t be able to play on the PGA Tour, but he can participate in the DP World Tour.
That being said, it appears that despite LIV Golf’s good news, there’s plenty of story left to unfold. And only time will tell what the future holds for the rebel league and its players.