LIV Golf faces funding cut as Saudi Public Investment Fund pulls out
PGA Tour announcer Doug Bell discusses reports that the Saudi Public Investment Fund will cease funding the LIV Golf league after the current season, jeopardizing its future. LIV Golf has incurred reported losses between $6 and $9 billion since its 2021 launch, surprising many agents and players. This significant financial shift underscores a broader reevaluation of investment priorities by Saudi Arabia.
The RBC Heritage is, and always will be, reminiscent of a four-day hangover, given its placement on the calendar the week after the Masters. The signature met those exact expectations through the first 63 holes, but thanks to Scottie Scheffler’s inability to go away, we did see some fireworks down the stretch in Hilton Head.
Matt Fitzpatrick ultimately managed to hold off Scheffler and claim the unofficial title as the owner of Harbour Town, which presents an opportunity to dissect the different yet very much world-class expectations of each player.
Matt Fitzpatrick of England poses with the trophy after winning the RBC Heritage golf tournament in Hilton Head, S.C., on April 19, 2026. (Mike Stewart/AP)
While the RBC Heritage was coming down to the wire in South Carolina, Jon Rahm was punishing the field in LIV Golf‘s event in Mexico. The Spaniard winning south of the border was about the 74th most-interesting development regarding LIV this week, and the circuit capped things off a chaotic few days with quite the announcement regarding its future.
Par Talk is a weekly installment that gets you caught up on everything you need to know in the world of golf. Send over your thoughts and concerns to mark.harris@outkick.com and on X @itismarkharris.
Matt Fitzpatrick wins, but knows he’s still chasing
Fitzpatrick didn’t just pass the test at the RBC Heritage, he aced it. Before their final-round duel, the Englishman was paired with Scheffler for the opening two rounds of the event and bested the world’s No. 1 player by seven total shots. While Scheffler got revenge against Fitzpatrick on Sunday by beating him by three, Fitzpatrick was the one who delivered the final punch on the playoff hole and stepped into the winner’s circle.
Fitzpatrick’s ability to flush the disappointing bogey on the 72nd hole and immediately answer with a 4-iron for the ages minutes later in the playoff against Scheffler emphatically shows the 31-year-old deserves the ‘elite’ title next to his name.
Fitzpatrick’s win on Sunday marked his second in his last three starts, having won the Valspar Championship in late March. You add in the fact that he also finished solo second at The Players, and you can justifiably say his game has been world-class this season.
Being world-class and being the best player on the planet are two very different things, and Fitzpatrick even recognized that during his winner’s press conference on Sunday evening.
“No. No, I don’t. I feel like I can still improve,” Fitzpatrick answered when asked if he feels like he’s the best player in the world. “There’s areas that I want to get better at. I feel like I’m playing very well right now, but I wouldn’t say I don’t feel like — I don’t know. I’d have to ask Scottie if he feels like the best player in the world. I’ve never been there yet, so I wouldn’t know.”
Fitzpatrick is now the No. 3 player in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), and it’s clear that until he sees the No. 1 next to his name, he’s not falling into any sort of mindset that mirrors being the best in the sport. It makes it all the more impressive that he’s staying locked into the expectation that there is more to improve, given that he was ranked 80th in the world just last summer.
Matt Fitzpatrick of England acknowledges the crowd on the 18th green during day one of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 17, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
As for expectations of Scheffler, they remain outrageous, but that’s only a testament to how great a player he is. He began the 2026 season with a victory at The AmEx and now has four Top 4 finishes on the year, including a solo second at the Masters last week, yet some would still claim it’s been a ‘disappointing’ campaign.
 Why are we chanting ‘USA’ at a PGA Tour event in the year 2026?
Free speech is amazing, being an American is a blessing, but man, do some folks need to learn how to read a situation.
For those who may have missed it, after Fitzpatrick missed his par putt on the 72nd hole to fall into a playoff against Scheffler at the RBC, some fans in Hilton Head started up a ‘USA-USA-USA’ chant. Predictably, it came back to bite them with Fitz making birdie in the playoff to win, which should serve as a sign that ‘USA’ chants are completely off limits until the Americans win the Ryder Cup again.
MATT FITZPATRICK HAS PERFECT RESPONSE TO USA RYDER CUP FANS AFTER PGA TOUR VICTORY
Fitzpatrick and Team Europe embarrassed Team USA at Bethpage Black in the Fall. The Sunday singles comeback was just an illusion, and two years prior, things were that much more embarrassing with the Europeans winning in Rome 16.5-11.5.
You simply can not chant ‘USA’ at a European player who has been a part of Europe’s recent, dominant run against the Americans.
 LIV Golf seems optimistic of future life, for whatever reason
There was a moment in time early last week when many believed that the plug was going to be pulled on LIV Golf at any given second, with widespread reporting stating that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) was set to cut off funding to the circuit.
Sources told Fox News’ Bret Baier that funding could be cut off at the end of the 2026 season.
Nevertheless, the show went on, and LIV Golf Mexico City took place as scheduled. Rahm fired 7-under in the final round on Sunday to win by a whopping six shots, but nobody is concerned about the golf that was played, and for obvious reasons.
As Rahm was lapping the field at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico, LIV fired off a press release announcing that the league would be returning to the same venue in 2027. No date was mentioned, but fans could go ahead and join a waitlist for updates about next year’s tournament.
Captain Jon Rahm, right, of Legion XIII, greets fans as he walks to the sixth tee during the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec on Sunday, April 19, 2026 in Naucalpan, Mexico. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via AP)
No one can fault LIV and its leaders for being optimistic and publicly pushing a positive outlook for its future, but we could have the rare occurrence of this being a very plain and simple situation.
If the Saudis cut all funding to LIV Golf, then the circuit, at least as it looks right now with big-name players being paid tens of millions of dollars, could not and would not exist. LIV could be funded by other entities, but none of those entities would involve a public investment fund valued at over $1 trillion.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Everything is pointing to this version of LIV Golf not making a return in 2027. Another version could emerge; it could form some sort of partnership with the DP World Tour, or perhaps change into a (much) lesser global circuit detached from the PGA Tour.
It’s unclear what the future looks like, but it’s nearing a level of pure impossibility that we see the likes of Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and others waving the LIV Golf flag for much longer.
Mark Harris is a writer for OutKick.