LIV Golf Lives On With New Investor

LIV Golf will apparently live on, at least for now. 

At a press conference at Trump Bedminster on Wednesday, LIV CEO Scott O’Neil announced that the embattled league has secured a lead investor who will help it continue operating beyond 2026. The name of the investor was not disclosed, nor was the total amount of the investment. LIV has reportedly been seeking between $250-$300 million in funding. 

“LIV Golf has an agreement in place with a lead investor, signed by the investor and approved by the Board, to anchor the transaction and play a key role in supporting the path forward for the League’s next era, driven by and for the players,’’ O’Neil told reporters. “We’re also seeing strong interest from more than a dozen additional parties to potentially serve as minority investors, creating a multi-partner model built for long-term stability and growth.” 

O’Neil spoke with LIV players on Tuesday, and then players held a players-only meeting for an hour after O’Neil left. Bryson DeChambeau was reportedly leading the discussions. LIV has, according to several reports, been mulling filing for bankruptcy. They recently sent out an email to some employees, giving them 30 days' notice that their jobs may be eliminated. Many LIV players are believed to have millions still owed on their contracts. In Jon Rahm’s case, that could be as much as $150 million. 

O’Neil had previously stated that any future investment would likely involve players becoming equity holders in the league going forward. He confirmed that as part of the plan on Wednesday. 

“Notably, our next chapter will make our players the majority equity holders in LIV Golf, a first for a major global sports league, and gives the League the foundation to keep growing the game worldwide,’’ he said. “We anticipate finalizing terms in the coming weeks, with the goal of entering a transaction in September. In the meantime, our focus is on delivering a great week for fans and players at Bedminster and finishing the 2026 season strong.’’

It’s been a tumultuous year for LIV, which learned in April that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia was ending its relationship as the league’s financial backer after pouring more than $5 billion into the start-up. O’Neil praised the PIF for allowing LIV to find outside investment and added the league doesn’t need any additional new investors, “but we have the opportunity to do it.” If a deal does get finalized over the next few months, the league should be funded through 2030.

O’Neil said that the next iteration of the league will feature 10 tournaments — five in the United States and five outside it. Players will get back their NIL rights, allowing them to sign individual sponsorship deals. They will also be able to play on other tours if they are eligible. 

After this week’s event in New York, next up for the league is LIV Golf Indianapolis, August 20-23. The status of LIV Golf’s Team Championship in Michigan the following week has been in question, and three weeks out from the season finale, O’Neil said, “We have not made any final formal decisions and hope to in the coming weeks.”