Jon Rahm, one of LIV Golf’s biggest stars, says he’s “not too worried” about the future of the breakaway league, despite speculation about its financial future.
Rumors are swirling that LIV could lose future funding after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has supported the format, unveiled a new five-year investment strategy without any mention of future funding for LIV Golf.
Despite mounting suspicions, its latest event, LIV Mexico, started Thursday at the Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City, but the broadcast encountered some technical problems. LIV Golf said in a statement that the issue was due to regional power outages.
After finishing second and third behind Victor Perez in the round of 65, Rahm claimed he was “not too worried” about LIV’s future.
“Until someone in charge told me if the rumor was true, there was no point in thinking about it or wasting time,” he said.
“We hadn’t been here (before the tournament week) and we knew we were going to play, so the idea was to prepare for the tournament and that was it.
“Everything came out so suddenly and so quickly that I wasn’t really worried about it, because usually you know something before there’s a rumor.
“There’s always someone in the league who knows something. It was so fast that I didn’t really worry about it.”
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Boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez competes in the LIV Pro-Am in Mexico City
The Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday that LIV Golf executives had been summoned to an “emergency meeting” in New York, after which the Financial Times reported that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is funding the project, was on the verge of cutting support, although no final decision had been made.
Newsletter Money in Sport reported in February that LIV Golf had already spent $5.3bn (£3.9bn) and was expected to exceed $6bn (£4.42bn) by the end of the year.
Sky Sports understands there was a lot of confusion among players seeking reassurance, but none of the team captains were informed of the impending announcement.
LIV CEO: We are in a great position
LIV Golf launched in 2022 with approximately $1 billion in signing bonuses for some of the biggest names on the PGA Tour, including Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Rahm.
This year, the prize money for individuals and 13 teams has been increased to $30 million.
But LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neill was adamant: “If we continue on this trajectory and continue to see revenue growth, this is going to be a very good business for a really long time.”
He was speaking on Thursday’s television broadcast to quell rumors of the circuit’s impending closure.
“From a business perspective, we did about $500 million in sponsorships last year with big brands like Rolex, HSBC and Aramco. These are global brands. We think we’re in a great position,” he said.
LIV CEO Scott O’Neill insists 2026 LIV golf season will continue at ‘full throttle’
“From a structural perspective, this business will continue to evolve as it has over the last 12 months. The good news for us is we know how to put on a show. We know how to grow our game.”
“But will there be a change in the way we operate? Absolutely. I told you that last year and a half ago. We’re looking to blend LIV with the National Open, a version of the Great National Open that is held around the world. We believe golf assets are the most undervalued, undervalued and untapped assets, and the reason is that it puts us on track to grow the game of golf.”
He added, “If I were a PGA Tour player, I’d want LIV Golf to survive. The prize money is pretty good. Competition is good for business. If I were a TV network, I’d want LIV Golf to survive. That’s good television. If I were a reporter, I’d definitely make the news a little bit harder, and sometimes it is. If you’re a fan, you want more golf around the world.”
“So I think LIV Golf has more to gain here than LIV Golf to lose.”
The story of LIV golf so far
LIV Golf launched in 2021 with funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) as a rival to the established PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
Its emergence led to a split in professional golf, with some of the game’s biggest names, including Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson, withdrawing to breakout tours.
The LIV began as a series of 54-hole tournaments, but was changed to 74 holes in 2026 with the aim of securing points in the Official World Golf Rankings.
LIV also announced that the total prize money for 2026 will be increased to $30 million, and team prize money will be doubled to $10 million, along with $20 million in individual prize money.
The Saudi-backed league started with 12 teams and 48 players and has since expanded to 13 teams, but has lost notable players in recent months, including five-time major champion Koepka and former Masters champion Reed.
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Sky Sports’ chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekor explains how changes in Saudi Arabia’s investment in sport could impact the future of Newcastle, Mohamed Salah and LIV Golf
Why is PIF withdrawing LIV support?
Sky Sports News Chief Correspondent Kaveh Solhekol:
“I think Saudi Arabia is rethinking a little bit about how much money they invest in sports.
“Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, invests the money Saudi Arabia earns from oil sales to diversify and grow the economy.
“PIF has announced a new investment strategy for the next five years and has also communicated the areas it will focus on. There are seven areas and the new strategy does not explicitly mention sports, but from speaking to people in Saudi Arabia in the past they would say that sports falls under the category of tourism and entertainment.”
“So I don’t think they’re completely ignoring the sport, but I think it’s fair to say they’re rethinking and reprioritizing.
“I think their mentality is ‘business is business’ and they want a return on their investments. For example, in something like LIV, they’ve invested $5 billion so far, but even if they continue to fund LIV, they’re expected to be in the red for the next five to 10 years.”
“So going forward Saudi Arabia and the PIF will continue to support and invest in football, F1, golf, boxing and tennis, but they will do so with more of a business rationale. The deal has to make sense for them. They don’t want to be seen as someone who is just there to throw money at every athlete and every person who wants to come to Saudi Arabia.”
“There are wars going on in the Middle East as well, and economies around the world, especially in the Gulf region, are affected by that, so I think going forward Saudi Arabia is just saying to the world, ‘Look, we’re going to continue to invest in sports, but we’re going to be very smart about how we do it.'”
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