LIV Golf is facing the most difficult period in its existence. After PIF informed in April that its funding commitment would end after the 2026 season, the breakaway tour has found itself under increasing financial pressure, with allegations of unpaid bills and a string of lawsuits adding to concerns about its future and even raising the prospect of bankruptcy. Amid the turmoil, The Telegraph spoke to LIV Golf employees who worked on temporary contracts. 

“We are not talking about millionaire golfers here, or highly paid execs,” one said. “We are talking about guys like me, who struggle to pay our mortgages and bills at the end of the month unless those cheques arrive – and they haven’t been. I’ve been on to accounts many times but have been ignored, despite, like the rest of my colleagues, working until the very last day.

“None of us will go on the record, as we still have hope of getting something. But we don’t really anticipate anything. It’s the little guy being stuffed, and when you consider all the opulence of the LIV era and the fact that the golfers were still playing for $40m two weeks ago, it is hard to stomach. It doesn’t seem right.”

This comes after reports revealed that the league had laid off a significant portion of its workforce as part of an effort to scale back operations and reduce costs. LIV was also accused of failing to make payments to vendors and contractors last month. On top of that, Fantasy Interactive sued the tour for $1 million, Fresh Tape Media filed a lawsuit seeking $1.2 million, and Mobii Systems sued LIV over an alleged $1.1 million in unpaid bills.

The pressure on LIV Golf also extended to its tournament schedule. The league had previously postponed its planned New Orleans event, and then canceled the season-ending Team Championship that had been scheduled for August 27-30 at The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth, Michigan.

LIV instead ended its 2026 season one week earlier at LIV Golf Indianapolis, where the regular stroke-play event determined both the season-long individual champion and the team champion.

Regardless, their troubles began shortly after Saudi Arabia’s PIF, which had invested more than $5 billion into the tour, reportedly pulled its funding in April this year. With the financial situation becoming increasingly difficult, temporary contractors have been left with no options. 

“Of course this is largely the fault of the PIF,” another contractor said. “But, whatever, those at the top have responsibility, as here we are with the LIV offices all but empty, hanging on and praying we’ll get our due. So much for LIV being ‘one big family,’ as we have constantly been told. We have helped keep LIV going through the last few months, but it seems we were working for nothing. It stinks, to be honest.”

There is still some hope for LIV Golf, however. CEO Scott O’Neil revealed that the league had found a new lead investor, reportedly identified as BC Partners, a London-based equity and credit firm. The two sides have even signed a term sheet, although the details of the potential deal remain unconfirmed. 

Moreover, with several high-profile players potentially considering an exit from the league, there is no guarantee that the deal will ultimately go through. Still, if LIV Golf can weather the storm and make it through to next year, O’Neil has assured those waiting on payments that they will eventually get their money.

“Look, I come from a family of entrepreneurs, a family of small business entrepreneurs, and know the challenge that is,” O’Niel said. “So what I would say to them is we’re doing everything we can to make sure we can do right by them and the work they committed, and I hope we can. For the next generation, it will certainly be a different business with a different process.”

That being said, LIV Golf appears to be continuing to unravel with each passing day. For now, only time will tell whether the breakaway league can weather the storm and what its future ultimately holds.