LIV CEO shoots down 'speculation,' says '26 season unaltered - ESPN

Amid reports that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund might be on the verge of pulling its funding for the league, LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil told staff in an email Wednesday that its season will go on «as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.»

The email, which was obtained by ESPN, didn't directly address reports that PIF might stop investing in the breakaway circuit after spending more than $5 billion since its inception in 2022, or whether the league would continue competitions beyond this season.

«I want to be crystal clear: Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle,» O'Neil wrote in the email. «While the media landscape is often filled with speculation, our reality is defined by the work we do on the grass. We are heading into the heart of our 2026 schedule with the full energy of an organization that is bigger, louder, and more influential than ever before.»

LIV Golf is scheduled to play its sixth tournament of the season starting Thursday at Club de Golf Chapultepec near Mexico City. Its first tournament in the U.S. is scheduled for May 7-10 at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

«The life of a startup movement is often defined by these moments of pressure,» O'Neil wrote. «We signed up for this because we believe in disrupting the status quo. We have faced headwinds since the jump, and we've answered every time with resilience and grace. Now, we answer by doing what we do best: putting on the most compelling show in sports.»

The Financial Times and other outlets reported Wednesday that PIF was on the verge of pulling its funding for LIV Golf. A source familiar with the situation told ESPN the league's executives were on the ground in Mexico City on Wednesday.

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