LIV Golf secures unnamed lead investor for 2027
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- LIV Golf signed an agreement with an unnamed lead investor covering 2027 and beyond, approved by the LIV board, with the transaction expected to close in September.
- Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund said in April it would end its backing at season's end after investing more than $5bn (£3.71bn) since the league launched in 2022.
- CEO Scott O'Neil said LIV will make its players "majority equity holders" in the competition, calling it "a first for a major global sports league."
- The league will shrink to 10 events next season — five in the US and five internationally — down from 14 planned for 2026.
- LIV postponed its New Orleans event in June and has not announced a rescheduled date; O'Neil made no explicit mention of the final two 2026 stops scheduled in Indianapolis (23 August) and the team championship in Michigan (30 August).
- More than a dozen additional parties have expressed interest in becoming minority investors, according to O'Neil.
Why it matters: LIV survives its existential moment — but at a smaller scale. The lead-investor deal keeps the tour alive after PIF's $5bn exit, while making players majority equity holders creates an unprecedented ownership structure among major sports leagues. The cut from 14 to 10 events and the conspicuous silence on the season's final two stops suggest financial pressure persists even with the new deal.
Ask SkimNews
