LIV Golf chairman Yasir Al Rumayan is set to resign as part of an announcement formally confirming the exclusion of future Saudi funding from the league, Sky Sports News understands.
This is the first formal recognition for LIV, which seeks to move forward beyond this year under new leadership without receiving funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which Mr Al Rumayan has ruled since 2015.
Sky Sports News has been told by a source familiar with LIV Golf’s business operations that the company plans to announce a new “strategic plan” to find new long-term investors and is currently in talks with potential investors.
LIV is understood to have discussed future plans with captains from 13 teams, including major champions Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, during a phone call on Tuesday.
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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
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Amid speculation that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund may withdraw funding from LIV Golf, we take a look back at the organization’s rocky relationship with the rest of the golf world.
Sky Sports News also understands that some players are exploring options outside of LIV.
This follows the high-profile departures of first-year major champions Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, as well as recent uncertainty surrounding the league’s future.
People familiar with LIV Golf’s operations told Sky Sports News that the company remains focused on its team golf model and world tours, with more than 200,000 fans attending events in Australia and South Africa this year.
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LIV With the future of golf in doubt, Paul McGinley believes the PGA Tour needs to reward players who have remained true to themselves.
However, the suspension of PIF funding has cast doubt on the future of the league and its ability to keep star players like DeChambeau and Rahm active, although the former is said to be negotiating new contracts with franchises.
LIV Golf offers $30m (£22.25m) in prize money at each event and has already spent $5bn (£3.71bn) since its founding in 2022, with Money in Sport reporting this figure is expected to reach $6bn by the end of this year, making the path to financial solvency difficult without serious new investment.
The players are aware that Saudi funding will no longer be available after this season. “As long as LIV exists, we’re going to find a way to make it meaningful,” DeChambeau said in an interview with the social media site Flushing It.
“As with any business, there are a lot of moving parts,” DeChambeau said. “This is a startup, right? So you’re going to get cornered and beaten at times. This is one of those moments. But I’m going to do everything in my power to make it successful and I really understand the value of franchise golf.”
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LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neill says the 2026 season will continue “without interruption” amid hints that Saudi Arabia may cut financial support for breakout tournaments
Earlier this week, LIV Golf announced the postponement of its June 25-28 event in Louisiana, with its next event scheduled for May 7-10 in Northern Virginia. Chief executive Scott O’Neill has guaranteed Saudi funding through the 2026 season and said in a memo to staff two weeks ago that the season would run uninterrupted and at “full throttle”.
Koepka, one of the league’s first coups, has already returned to the PGA Tour after being granted a path back with conditions including a five-year ban on stock grants, $5 million in charitable contributions and no bonuses this year.
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Discussion at Golf Central studios suggested no one at LIV Golf knew about strategic thinking, with one player describing the situation as ‘chaos’
The tour offered the same path to three other LIV players who have won majors since 2022: Rahm, DeChambeau and Smith, but none of the three golfers accepted. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolup said the American circuit is currently considering establishing a new path to bring back LIV golfers.
“We’re interested in getting the best players to help the tour, and not every player can do that,” Lollup said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal earlier this week.
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