Saudi PIF to End LIV Golf Funding After 2026

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund announced Wednesday that it will cease financial backing for LIV Golf after the 2026 season, casting uncertainty over the league's future and prompting several players to explore returns to the PGA Tour.

The decision, detailed in the fund's five-year investment plan, aligns with a shift in priorities and follows reports of LIV's substantial losses, estimated at up to $6 billion since its 2022 launch. LIV, which offered lucrative guaranteed contracts and a team-based format, had drawn top talent away from the PGA Tour with signing bonuses often in the nine figures. The PGA Tour responded by suspending or declaring ineligible more than a dozen players who joined LIV's debut event, including 17 of the top 100 in the world at the time.

Some players have already rejoined the PGA Tour through the Returning Member Program introduced earlier this year. Brooks Koepka returned after donating $5 million to charity, forfeiting five years of player equity shares, and becoming ineligible for the 2026 FedEx Cup bonus. Patrick Reed, who resigned his PGA membership before joining LIV, served a suspension set to expire in August and forfeited equity until...