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LIV Golf LOSES PIF funding as Bryson DeChambeau and co's future plunged into doubt

LIV Golf is set to lose funding after a month of speculation over its future, having entered the sporting world with the intention of being a breakaway from the PGA Tour

[Bryson DeChambeau]

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Bryson DeChambeau may need to reassess his future(Image: Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

LIV Golf is set to lose its backing from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), with the plug set to be pulled from its funding at the end of the current season. The breakaway league is expected to inform players and staff of the news on Thursday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Bankrolled by PIF, LIV shook up the sport when it crashed onto the scene in 2022. They drew the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm away from the PGA Tour with eye-watering financial packages, causing division in the sport.

The likes of DeChambeau will now see their future plunged into doubt, having signed megamoney deals to depart the PGA Tour. Earlier this month, LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil pledged the organisation would be working 'like crazy' to survive beyond the current season.

His remarks came just months after admitting that LIV would not turn a profit for another five to 10 years, and amidst speculation that the league was about to collapse. Scott told TNT Sports in Mexico: "The reality is that you're funded through the season, and then you work like crazy as a business to create a business and a business plan to keep us going. But that's not different from any other private equity-funded business in the history of mankind."

Those comments emerged as LIV hosted an event in Mexico City. The league's chiefs were initially absent after being summoned to an 'emergency summit' in New York. Executives are also said to have met at Augusta National and huddled beneath the Big Oak Tree, a well-known spot where deals are frequently hammered out.

LIV has already been met with some difficulties. They have reverted from 54-hole to 72-hole competitions to enable players to meet some ranking requirements, while key figures such as Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed have departed to return to the PGA Tour.

The intense speculation over LIV's future forced Spanish star Rahm to turn off his phone. He did not want to engage with the rumours until something more concrete emerged.

"I'm not paying any attention to it at all," he told Spanish newspaper ABC. "The other day I started getting messages about it, so I turned my phone off.

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[Jon Rahm of Spain hand shakes Bryson DeChambeau of the United States after finishing the 18th hole during day one of LIV Golf: Greenbrier at The Old White Course on August 16, 2024 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia]

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Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau are LIV Golf's biggest stars(Image: Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)

"Until the people in charge here tell me something concrete, I'm not going to waste my time thinking about it. I have a signed contract, and everyone here gets paid. I don't see any reason to worry. What I have to do is play golf."

PIF's decision looks set to be made official weeks after its governor and primary LIV backer, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, shared a five-year strategic plan that reduced its international investments. LIV are now set to be permitted to look for new investment.

LIV CEO Scott also added this month: I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle. While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the grass. We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organisation that is bigger, louder, and more influential than ever before.

The life of a startup movement is often defined by these moments of pressure. We signed up for this because we believe in disrupting the status quo. We have faced headwinds since the jump, and weve answered every time with resilience and grace. Now, we answer by doing what we do best: putting on the most compelling show in sports.

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