LIV Golf informed most of its staff Wednesday that it will be laid off next week, a spokesperson confirmed to The Athletic.

After the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia made clear its intention to end its funding at the end of this season, the league has been looking for investment and solutions to remain afloat.

BC Partners signed a term sheet with LIV Golf to be a new lead investor, but it was understood that bankruptcy or drastic restructuring measures would be needed to keep the league stable going forward as the billions from the Saudi PIF run out.

Sept. 1 will be the final day for most employees, with a select few staying on during the transition.

“The funding commitment announced by PIF earlier this year will reach its conclusion. As a result, we are scaling back operations as we transition to the next chapter of LIV Golf and work toward making LIV 2.0 a reality,” a LIV Golf spokesperson said in a statement. “This week, we informed many of our colleagues that their employment under LIV 1.0 will end in the first week of September. We are grateful to our employees for their hard work and dedication in building LIV Golf, and we remain committed to supporting those affected through this transition.”

Is this the end for LIV Golf?

Brody Miller

PIF reportedly spent north of $6 billion on the league since its launch in 2022, signing stars such as Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka and creating festival-like atmospheres on a worldwide tour with concerts and large hospitality buildouts. But as the league continued to lose money amid an unexpected war in the Middle East, PIF unilaterally informed LIV leadership in April that it was pulling out.

PIF ultimately agreed to continue funding LIV throughout the 2026 season but with limits — LIV had to cancel two events (including its expected season finale in Michigan). It dramatically pared down the on-site fan experience. Two of the league’s digital media vendors, Mobii Systems Group Limited and Fresh Tape Media, have filed lawsuits against LIV for unpaid invoices, seeking more than $1 million each.

While LIV Golf sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, say they hope to bring many employees back in “LIV 2.0,” the focus now will be on trying to finalize a deal with investors for a 10-event league in 2027 with smaller purses and players taking on equity stakes. To do that, LIV will likely need to first gain commitments from its remaining stars, most notably DeChambeau and Rahm.

Complicating those commitments are threats from the DP World Tour to reinstitute fines for members playing in conflicting events. That move could devastate LIV’s chances, as a large part of its pitch for players is the ability to round out their schedules with DP World Tour events to stay eligible and prepared to compete at major championships.

A timetable for those decisions remains unclear, but LIV Golf sources say a deal needs to be done by early fall to have much hope.

The PGA Tour has made it clear it has no current plans to welcome back any LIV stars seeking to leave.