LIV Golf's PIF funding lapses after 2026 as stars weigh exits

LIV Golf's run under its current ownership structure is drawing to a close. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has told the league it will stop funding operations after the 2026 season, and CEO Scott O'Neil is now selling players on a restructured "LIV 2.0" as the circuit wrapped its Indianapolis season finale at The Club at Chatham Hills with signs that some of its biggest names may not return.

What is LIV Golf's plan after PIF pulls funding?

O'Neil told reporters last week that LIV 2.0 would let players own equity in the league rather than simply drawing appearance and prize money. He outlined a slate of five team championships held overseas and five individual events in the United States, and said there would be a deadline for players to commit to the new structure, though he did not specify a date. O'Neil said he was confident the league would retain enough top-tier players to continue into next season.

The season that just ended is the one both players and O'Neil have taken to calling "LIV Golf 1.0," a label that underscores how much is riding on the next phase.

Which LIV players appear headed for the exit?

Tyrrell Hatton and Tom McKibbin both used walk-up songs this week that read as farewells — Hatton chose "I Want To Break Free" and McKibbin picked "Breaking Free," according to The Fried Egg Golf. Both were subdued during the team championship celebration for Jon Rahm's Legion XIII, which won the team title for a second straight year after the season's scheduled Michigan finale was canceled and folded into the Indianapolis event.

Bryson DeChambeau, who finished T3 in the individual event, sent mixed signals about his own future. He praised LIV's run in comments to reporters, then posted a carousel of his winning moments to Instagram on Monday captioned "It was a good run." Rahm, who has earned $105.6 million on course in his three years with LIV, avoided questions about his 2026 plans and offered only a brief summary of his tenure with the league.

Two of LIV's biggest stars sent opposite signals about the league's future within 24 hours of each other.

The Loop take

A funding source stepping back doesn't necessarily end a league, but it does change who is paying the bills and how players get compensated. The players holding the equity stakes O'Neil is describing will need real confidence that LIV 2.0 is more than a rebrand.