LIV Golf insists season will go ahead ‘at full throttle’ amid doubts over future | LIV Golf Series
LIV Golf has insisted the tour intends to continue “uninterrupted and at full throttle” this season, with its Saudi backers soon to withdraw after funding the breakaway league to the tune of $5bn (£3.68bn).
The future of the Rebel tour was mired in confusion on Wednesday following a management meeting in New York and the release of a new Saudi investment strategy that made no mention of the sport and emphasized sustainability.
As speculation grew and golfers and staff seemed in limbo, LIV general manager Scott O’Neil sent an email to staff, reaffirming the league’s position – at least for 2026.
“I want to be very clear: our season is continuing exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full speed,” O’Neil said in a hyperbolic rallying email, which the Guardian has seen.
“While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the turf. We move toward the heart of our 2026 schedule with all the energy of an organization that’s bigger, louder and more influential than ever. Let’s go out and show the world why LIV golf is the future of the game.”
The LIV Mexico City event will take place in the coming days at Club de Golf Chapultepec, the fifth event of the season. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the event, Sergio García said: “Honestly, we haven’t heard anything other than what Yasir [al-Rumayyan, LIV Golf chairman] told us at the start of the year.
“That he’s behind us, that they have a long-term plan. Well, honestly, you know how these rumors are. There’s always a lot of them. And I can’t tell you anything more than what we already know.”
PIF has spent more than $5 billion on LIV since its launch in 2021, having attracted some of the biggest names in golf, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, García and Bryson DeChambeau. However, five-time major winner Brooks Koepka – who bought out part of his LIV contract, and former Masters champion Patrick Reed returned to the PGA Tour this year, while DeChambeau refused to sign a new deal.
The emergence of LIV has sparked a fierce division in the game, with the PGA and DP World Tour imposing sanctions on players who defected and no sign of a proposed merger after lengthy negotiations to unify the game.
Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley says the PGA Tour could now play “hardball” over the possibility of players who defected to LIV returning to their old home. “They were paid a huge amount of money to take a huge risk and leave behind the safety net, if you want to call it, of touring,” McGinley told Sky Sports. “The tours are membership organizations, so not only were they going to LIV and getting paid a lot of money, but they were damaging the model they had left behind.
“At the time, they all justified it as a difficult business decision, and they made that decision out of concern for themselves. So now, if that’s the case, the tables will be turned, and the roles will be reversed. [PGA] The Tour can play really hard against them by saying, “Sorry guys, your spots have been taken and we’re going to play hard in return.”
