LIV Golf relaunch: CEO O’Neal says lead investor has been found
The Saudi Golf League is seeking new investors to sustain its operations until 2027 and relaunch the tour in a scaled-down format, following the withdrawal of the PIF fund
The golf league LIV is reported to have found a suitable investor to sign a deal, worth at least $250 million, which would save it from what once seemed an inevitable closure, after the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund – Public Investment Fund (PIF) – announced in March 2026 that it would no longer be funding the league, as it had done since 2022.
It was thought that Pif would continue to fund the league until 2032. Saudi funding is what has enabled the league to pay nine-figure bonuses to lure the best players away from the PGA Tour and to create prize funds of $20 million. But it is time to move on.
LIV’s CEO, Scott O’Neil, has not disclosed the identity of the lead investor; he maintains that the new league will have players as majority shareholders and that this will enable the league to plan ahead for 2027 and beyond.
O’Neil did not provide any figures either, merely stating that the investor “has signed a term sheet (preliminary, editor’s note) approved by our board, which will lead and finance LIV in the future.” He added that LIV is also receiving “strong interest” from over a dozen other parties, for minority stakes.
The LIV Golf New York (6–9 August 2026) was the penultimate event of the season: it was won by Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, three strokes ahead of Harold Varner III, whilst Spain’s Jon Rahm retained his lead in the overall standings, winning the season-long points title for the third consecutive time
