Since Saudi Arabia’s PIF pulled its funding from LIV Golf in late April 2026, the league has been fighting tooth and nail to secure its future beyond 2026. Now, as the season comes to an end, a lengthy report by golf writer Alan Shipnuck has revealed a shocking warning from the lieutenants of former LIV Golf Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, one that may have played a key role in the league’s current predicament.
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According to Skratch’s 24 August report, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil was on the other end of a call with Al-Rumayyan’s lieutenant the same week PIF announced a new five-year plan that didn’t include funding for the breakaway tour.
“Shut it down. You’re not getting another dollar,” Al-Rumayyan’s lieutenant told O’Neil.
Reportedly, Al-Rumayyan himself had not spoken to O’Neil for two months leading up to the withdrawal. This comes after the Financial Times reported that Sergio Garcia’s behavior embarrassed Al-Rumayyan when the Spaniard smashed his driver during the final round of the 2026 Masters, an incident that allegedly led to PIF’s decision to withdraw funding.
Whatever the reason, LIV players now face a crucial decision: whether to remain with the league or play it safe by returning to the PGA Tour. However, the American Tour currently does not have the Returning Member Program that allowed Brooks Koepka to make his return to the PGA Tour.
Even without players leaving the league, LIV Golf is not in the best position right now, having already canceled two events. After LIV Golf New Orleans, the league canceled its season-ending Team Championship in Michigan. Instead, it merged the event with the Indianapolis tournament, which concluded earlier this month.
Not to mention, LIV has allegedly failed to pay some of its contractors and vendors, with Fresh Tape Media and Mobii Systems Group Ltd. suing the league over unpaid bills. Meanwhile, the Sports Business Journal has reported that LIV has laid off several employees and is looking to scale down its operations in an effort to survive into 2027.
Despite its troubles, however, Scott O’Neil announced a new lead investor. While the league hasn’t officially disclosed the investor’s identity and the details of the deal, the lead investor has reportedly signed a term sheet worth at least $250 million for the 2027 season. According to the Sports Business Journal, that investor is none other than Ted Goldthorpe of London-based BC Partners.
As LIV attempts to survive beyond 2026, the proposed LIV 2.0 concept would also see the annual schedule shrink from 14 tournaments to just 10. The total prize money per event could also fall from $30 million to around $15 million. So, if Yasir Al-Rumayyan intended to bring LIV Golf to its knees, that mission hasn’t succeeded, at least not yet.
However, given the current state of LIV Golf, there is a real possibility that the league could eventually cease to exist. When or whether that happens remains to be seen. What does appear increasingly clear, though, is that Saudi Arabia may be done with the league after spending billions of dollars to build it.