LIV Golf Secures Lead Investor After PIF Exit
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- LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil said Wednesday at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ that a lead investor has signed an agreement approved by the board to anchor a new funding round, with more than a dozen minority investors also expressing interest.
- Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund announced April 30 it would no longer finance LIV Golf after reportedly spending more than $5 billion over five seasons, and O'Neil is now seeking $250 million to $300 million from outside investors.
- The restructured LIV Golf will make its golfers the majority equity holders — a first for a major global sports league, per O'Neil — and players will regain their name, image and likeness commercial rights while being allowed to compete on other global tours.
- LIV Golf plans 10 events in 2027, including five team "majors" at international sites such as Australia, South Africa, England, Hong Kong and Mexico, plus five U.S.-based team "signature events."
- Bryson DeChambeau, a two-time U.S. Open champion, led a players-only meeting at Trump National on Tuesday, the day before O'Neil's funding announcement.
- LIV Golf has not confirmed whether its individual and team championship will proceed as scheduled Aug. 27-30 at The Cardinal at Saint John's in Plymouth, Michigan.
Why it matters: PIF's exit after $5 billion in funding forced LIV to court private capital, and the novel player-majority equity structure is the league's bet on long-term survival. With LIV needing to close its $250–300 million target by September and still uncertain about its year-end championship in Michigan, the next two months determine whether the breakaway circuit enters 2027 as a functioning league or a fading experiment.
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