O'Neil: LIV Golf season 'full throttle' amid PIF exit talk
SkimNews Take
LIV Golf is proceeding with its stated plans despite reported funding uncertainty, suggesting the league's operational momentum and existing contractual obligations currently outweigh speculative financial shifts.
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- Scott O'Neil told LIV Golf staff in a Wednesday email that the 2026 season continues 'as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle,' but the email did not directly address FT reports that Saudi PIF might stop funding the league or whether competitions will continue past this season.
- Saudi Arabia's PIF has invested more than $5 billion in LIV Golf since 2022, reportedly spending $100 million per month — but the Financial Times and other outlets reported Wednesday that PIF was on the verge of pulling its funding.
- LIV Golf has struggled in the U.S. with low TV ratings and limited commercial revenue from its broadcast deals with The CW and Fox Sports, and has had difficulty landing top-rated U.S. courses, frustrating star players who felt underprepared for majors.
- Brooks Koepka asked to be released from his LIV contract to return to the PGA Tour, and 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed also didn't renew his deal; DeChambeau, Rahm, and Smith were eligible to return but elected to stay before the Feb. 2 window expired.
- O'Neil, who replaced Greg Norman as CEO in January 2025, secured LIV Golf's inclusion in the Official World Golf Ranking in February, with world-ranking points now awarded to the top-10 finishers and ties in its events.
- LIV Golf's sixth tournament of the season starts Thursday at Club de Golf Chapultepec near Mexico City, with its first U.S. event scheduled for May 7-10 at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
- The PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and DP World Tour signed a framework agreement in June 2023 to form an alliance, with LIV prepared to invest up to $1.5 billion into PGA Tour Enterprises — but a merger was never finalized after more than a year of negotiations that included a White House meeting with President Trump.
Why it matters: O'Neil's email conspicuously avoids the only question that matters: what happens to LIV after 2026. With PIF's $100-million-per-month spending reportedly ending, Koepka and Reed already back on the PGA Tour, and the 2023 framework merger dead, the league's remaining stars, sponsors, and host venues are operating without a stated plan beyond this season.
