Source: Fox News
Summary
The Saudi Public Investment Fund is reportedly ending its funding for LIV Golf, a professional golf tour, after this season. LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil confirmed the news, saying the tour will continue to operate despite the funding change. The tour has produced two major winners and has shifted from a 54-hole format to 72 holes this season. Several players, including Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, are set to rejoin the PGA Tour.
Our Reading
The game followed a familiar script. LIV Golf, the upstart tour funded by Saudi dollars, is running out of gas. After weeks of speculation, the writing is on the wall.
Scott O’Neil, the tour’s CEO, is trying to spin this as an opportunity, talking about a “new business plan” and “excitement” about the future. But fans know the drill.
Players are already jumping ship, with Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed set to return to the PGA Tour. Bryson DeChambeau’s and Jon Rahm’s contracts are up after this season, leaving their futures uncertain.
This one feels recognizable early – a flash-in-the-pan attempt to disrupt the golf world, funded by deep pockets and a willingness to break the rules.
The result wasn’t surprising by the end. LIV Golf’s funding was always a Band-Aid solution, and now it’s time to face the music.
This observation reframes the game: LIV Golf was always a pawn in the Saudi game to buy influence and prestige, and now that the funding is drying up, the players are left holding the bag.
Author: Evan Null
