The LIV Golf, as it has been for five years — big, bold, launched by billions from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund — has reached its final conclusion at the end of its year 2026, according to the authorities. Now the organization is trying to move forward without Saudi funding, and the first results of that transition are clear, starting with the substantial proposed major project Golf LIV in the first week of September.
“The foundation of the PIF study announced earlier this year will have a conclusion. That’s why we are stepping up the next steps as we transition to the next chapter of LIV Golf and to work on LIV 2.0,” a source at LIV Golf said in a statement to Yahoo Sports. “This week we notified many of our colleagues that their use of LIV 1.0 will end the first week of September. We are grateful to our employees for their hard work and dedication in building LIV Golf, and we remain committed to supporting them through this transition.”
Advertisement
The PIF announced in April that funding for LIV Golf would end at the end of the 2026 season. LIV is currently managing funds for future operations, but that is by no means certain. The LIV Golf 2.0 program included ten events for the 2027 season, five in the United States and five in international locations. LIV has already seen substantial success in international markets such as South Africa and Australia, pulling in six-figure grosses.
It is not surprising that the 15th message will need to make substantial structural changes; it will be impossible to replace the Saudi billions. LIV CEO Scott O’Neil hinted at this in recent press conferences.
“This group was under immense pressure. We do not often control our destiny, and we try to make the best type and type of people and company, because of their achievements, reputation and behavior,” he said. “We don’t run, we don’t hide. We just do what we can with what we have, and we do it the best we can.”
The transition to the LIV 2.0 model is expected to take months to finalize. While LIV officials are on the best side, and have hinted at the possibility of restoring the many employees affected by this layoff, substantial challenges to the league’s future still exist.