Strained optimism as LIV Golf's future hangs in the balance after Saudi funding pulled
With Saudi backers halting funding after pouring in more than $5bn, this week's season finale in Indianapolis may have been LIV Golf's last event unless a deal with a prospective new investor is reached soon.
More than four years after LIV Golf launched and upended professional golf with Saudi-funded riches for top players, the breakaway league now faces an uncertain future. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, having spent over $5bn since LIV's inception, has pulled its funding, leaving this week's season finale in Indianapolis as a potential end point for the league in its current form.
League leadership is pinning hopes on what insiders call "LIV 2.0" — a new chapter built around a prospective outside investor. BBC Sport has confirmed through multiple sources that the investor in question is Ted Goldthorpe, head of the credit division at investment firm BC Partners. He met with players as a group in Indianapolis but largely avoided media.
What could change
LIV chief executive Scott O'Neil said he believes a transaction can be achieved, though he acknowledged the process would be difficult. Any relaunched version would likely keep much of the existing format, but spending would be far more disciplined, given the league's losses over this era are estimated in the billions of dollars. Plans reportedly include cutting the schedule to 10 events a year across five continents, selling team franchises to investors, and returning players' name, image and likeness rights so they can pursue their own endorsements. Prize money at this week's event was roughly half of previous levels.
Players left waiting
Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell described the mood among players as "subdued," noting that the 57 LIV players hold 57 different views on what to do next. Australia's Cameron Smith said LIV had done a great deal for him and for golf in his home country, but he remained unsure what comes next. This week saw routine press conferences and live music cancelled, along with reports of vendors suing over unpaid invoices.
O'Neil pointed to rising attendance and revenue growth as reasons for optimism, saying he expects to secure enough player commitment to move forward, though he admitted a deal would be impossible without sufficient buy-in from players. The coming weeks are expected to determine whether LIV Golf continues in a new form or ceases to exist altogether.
