LIV Golf is Facing Withdrawal of Saudi Arabia's PIF
This Wednesday, the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times all cited sources saying: Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is about to withdraw its investment in the LIV Golf League.
On the same day, PIF Governor and LIV supporter Yasir al-Rumayyan announced a new five-year plan aimed at strengthening the fund's investments in six core areas. The "Leisure and Sports" sector, previously included in the strategic agenda, was not mentioned. He also noted that international investments (the category to which LIV belongs) would be reduced from 30% to 20% of its portfolio.
In February this year, al-Rumayyan just approved a new injection of $266 million. This brought PIF's cumulative investment in LIV Golf to at least $5.3 billion. That month, PIF stated that its total investment in LIV was expected to exceed $6 billion.(View related reading)
Details of PIF's annual investments in LIV are as follows:
2021: $1.2 billion
2022: $1.3 billion
2023: $200 million
2024: $1.2 billion
2025: $1.1 billion
2026: $266 million injected so far, with February stating an additional $700 million+ to come
LIV is known for its generous prize money. Golf analyst Jamie Kennedy shared on his personal x.com account: Since its launch in 2022, LIV Golf has paid approximately $1.53 billion in tournament prize money, not including any signing bonuses.
- In 2022, LIV held 8 events, paying $225 million
- From 2023 to 2025, 14 events per year, paying $375 million per season, averaging about $27 million per event, far exceeding the prize levels of PGA Tour events.
- In 2026, 5 events have been held so far, with the 6th upcoming, each with a prize of $30 million, totaling $180 million paid out.
Above: Promotional poster for the March 2026 HSBC LIV Hong Kong event
Reuters cited sources saying the 2026 season will proceed as planned, with funding for the remaining 9 events fully in place. According to Golf Channel, LIV CEO Scott O'Neil reassured players and staff via email on Wednesday, stating "2026 is all good" and refuting reports about the league shutting down, without mentioning the situation beyond next year.
If the Saudi fund confirms withdrawal, the fate of LIV players becomes a key issue. This Wednesday, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said on a podcast: "We're interested in doing whatever makes the PGA Tour better. Fans want to see the best players compete together. I don't know the specifics. Once things become clear, we'll address them then. But we're clearly not there yet."
| Sources: GolfWeek; Daily Golf Club; Front Office Sports; Orange Bay Sports historical articles
| Image source: Official website