Players told LIV Golf to run 'for many years' amid collapse rumours
PIF's overall investment in LIV was reportedly approaching $5bn, while broadcast rights were said to have raised just $2. 7m. LIV chief executive Scott O'Neil said in February that the tour would not be profitable for another five to 10 years.
In January, a senior source in Saudi Arabia told BBC Sport that towards the end of last year there was "a shift" in the kingdom's attitude towards some investments, with "everything in the PIF world under serious review". The source added: "More money has been put into AI and the tech sector. There is pressure in Saudi Arabia to make sure that we're inviting in the right things that are sustainable and bring a return, and I don't see how LIV Golf is going to do that.
"It has had new sponsors such as Rolex and HSBC, but that's not enough to get anywhere close to what the players are being paid. " LIV caused a 'civil war' in professional golf in 2022 when they started luring star names away from the PGA Tour with the offer of huge pay increases. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour announced in 2023 they had agreed to a merger with PIF, but there is still no sign of the union coming to fruition.
However, in the meantime, a small number of LIV-affiliated players have been permitted to return to compete in select DP World Tour and PGA Tour events under certain circumstances. Watson's call for lifetime bans shows PGA Tour-LIV scars still run deep What is LIV Golf's future after Reed & Koepka exits? With LIV Golf not yet responding to the BBC's requests for comment, and senior golfing officials telling us they are also trying to clarify what the situation is, uncertainty surrounds the circuit's future.
One Saudi source told us that the speculation could be linked to the publication on Thursday of a new four-year strategy for the country's sovereign wealth fund PIF, which bankrolls LIV. It heralded a "new phase of sustained value creation, with a strengthened focus on maximizing impact [and] raising the efficiency of investments. " There was no mention of LIV golf in a media release announcing the new strategy.