LIV Golf strikes a funding deal with a mystery investor. Can it be saved after PIF’s withdrawal?
LIV Golf has signed an agreement with a new lead investor to fund the league after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) ends its financial backing at the close of the 2026 season.
The league said the agreement has been signed by the investor and approved by its board. LIV did not name the investor or disclose the size of the investment. The league said it expects to finalise terms in the coming weeks and to enter a transaction in September.
Scott O’Neil, CEO of LIV Golf, said in a statement that the deal will “anchor the transaction and play a key role in supporting the path forward for the League’s next era, driven by and for the players”.
O’Neil said the league is “seeing strong interest from more than a dozen additional parties to potentially serve as minority investors, creating a multi-partner model built for long-term stability and growth”.
LIV Golf: players to hold majority equity
Players will become the majority equity holders in LIV Golf under the agreement. O’Neil said the structure is “a first for a major global sports league” and “gives the League the foundation to keep growing the game worldwide”.
Individual commercial rights will be returned to players under the proposed model, giving them control over their own brands and partnerships. Players will be contracted for 10 LIV events per year and free to compete on other tours where eligible.
The PIF announced on 30 April that it would stop funding LIV Golf at the end of the 2026 season, two weeks after reports first emerged that the fund was considering an exit. The PIF has invested more than $5bn (USD) in the league since its 2022 launch.
Sky Sports News reported that the deal is set to be finalised this month. Sportico reported earlier this year that LIV Golf was seeking an investment of between $250m and $350m (USD), according to a pitch deck it had viewed.
A 10-event calendar for 2027
The league’s next phase, described internally as LIV Golf 2.0, is planned around 10 team events per year. Five would be team majors staged across five continents, with Australia, South Africa, the UK, Hong Kong and Mexico given as example markets. The remaining five would be US-based team events scheduled ahead of the individual major championships.
LIV Golf Adelaide drew more than 115,000 spectators in 2026 and LIV Golf South Africa more than 100,000, both records for professional golf events in their countries, according to the league. LIV Golf UK drew 50,000.
The league said it will continue to pursue Official World Golf Ranking eligibility, which would strengthen its players’ pathways into the major championships.
Deal follows months of uncertainty
The PIF’s April withdrawal cast doubt over the league’s future and led to the cancellation of a planned event in New Orleans. LIV Golf warned staff of possible layoffs in July, while telling Insider Sport its investor search was progressing positively. Reports had suggested LIV Golf could file for bankruptcy to restructure its debts, and that it owed hundreds of millions of dollars to star players including Jon Rahm.
The PIF has continued to invest elsewhere in sport during its LIV exit, and was named an Official Tournament Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in May.
O’Neil made the announcement at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, New Jersey, ahead of this week’s LIV Golf New York event. He told reporters he was grateful to the PIF for allowing the league time to find new investment, saying “it’s not something they had to do”.
Three events remain on the 2026 calendar: New York, Indianapolis and Michigan.
