LIV Golf’s financial challenges have taken on a new edge, with the league set to lose backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund after the 2026 season. That means the circuit that shook up professional golf in 2022 could soon be forced to rely on fresh investment simply to stay afloat into the 2027 season and beyond.
The scale of the issue is hard to ignore. LIV Golf arrived with more than $5 billion in support and used that money to poach players, pay historic signing bonuses and create a split that changed the sport’s power structure. But the source of that spending is now due to shrink dramatically, leaving the league facing a very different future.
What happens when the money stops?
If the Saudi sovereign wealth fund pulls its money after 2026, LIV Golf would be greatly diminished. The source makes clear that the league could be reduced to a fraction of its previous support, and that would raise immediate questions over whether it can continue in its current form.
That is where new investment comes in. Scott O'Neil is set to announce that LIV Golf will unveil fresh funding, and that could be the difference between survival and contraction. The crucial point is not simply whether the league can survive the 2026 season, but whether it can move into 2027 with enough strength to remain relevant.
For a league built on disruption, this is a major moment. LIV Golf was created to challenge the established order, but financial muscle has always been central to its identity. If that support fades, the sporting and business model comes under pressure at the same time.
What it means for the players
The possible change in funding also has implications for the players who signed long-term deals. Several notable former major winners have already taken historic paydays after defecting from the PGA Tour, but the source notes that some players could now try to leave the circuit, either peacefully or through litigation.
That uncertainty matters because LIV Golf’s future is tied to the value of those commitments. If the league becomes weaker financially, the attraction of staying inside it may change quickly, especially for players weighing competitive pathways and career security.
Brooks Koepka is one of the clearest examples of how complicated those ties have become. In December, he agreed with LIV Golf officials to forgo the final year of his contract and applied for reinstatement to the PGA Tour. Then in January, the PGA Tour introduced the Returning Member Program, opening a route back for players who had left.
Koepka’s route back to the PGA Tour
Koepka’s return path is not simple. For the 2026 season, he will not receive any payment from the FedEx Cup bonus program and is ineligible for equity from the player equity program for the next five years. Those are significant conditions, and they underline how difficult it can be to reverse course once a player has made the switch.
That makes Koepka’s situation a useful marker for where the wider LIV Golf story is heading. The league helped create a market in which players were rewarded handsomely for leaving the PGA Tour, but the longer-term picture is now less certain. If funding is reduced after 2026, the pressure on both the league and its players will grow quickly.
For now, LIV Golf remains active and still powerful enough to shape the sport. But the financial model that launched it is changing, and the next major question is whether new investment can keep it alive for the 2027 season or whether the league’s most ambitious phase is already coming to an end.
