(LIV Golf in Mexico City via Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
After spending more than $5 billion to recruit some of the world’s top golfers in an effort to create a competitor to the PGA Tour (and increase tourism in the Middle East), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has reached its limit.
Several outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Fox News, reported last week that LIV Golf is on its last leg. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund — the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund with $900 billion in assets under management — has reportedly told the league’s executive team that its financing commitment will expire this year, leaving hundreds of full-time employees in peril and 50+ professional golfers wondering what they will do next.
LIV Golf’s executive team has labeled these reports as “false” and “misleading,” often criticizing the use of anonymous sources without offering substantive responses. So to parse through the noise, I spoke to several people this weekend with direct knowledge of the situation. These individuals provided insight on everything from the league’s current funding situation to its annual revenue, expected losses, team valuations, and even what the future might look like.
Here’s what I have been told: