Jon Rahm, one of the biggest stars of LIV Golf, says he's not "too worried" about the future of the breakaway league despite speculation about its financial future.
Rumours have swirled that LIV could lose its future funding as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has been backing the format, revealed a new five-year investment strategy without any mention of future funding for LIV Golf.
Despite growing doubts, its latest event, LIV Mexico, got underway at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City on Thursday, although the broadcast did experience some technical difficulties. In a statement, LIV Golf put that down to the impact of local power outages.
After shooting a round of 65 to place second and three behind Victor Perez, Rahm insisted he "wasn't too worried" about LIV's future.
"Until the people in charge told me if the rumours were valid or not, it didn't make sense for me to think about it or to waste time thinking about it," he said.
After shooting a round of 65 to place second and three behind Victor Perez, Rahm insisted he "wasn't too worried" about LIV's future.
"Until the people in charge told me if the rumours were valid or not, it didn't make sense for me to think about it or to waste time thinking about it," he said.
"There's always someone in the league who knows something. It was so fast that I didn't really worry about it."
The Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday that LIV Golf executives had been summoned to an "emergency meeting" in New York, before the Financial Times subsequently reported that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the project, was on the verge of cutting its support, although that no final decision had been made.
The newsletter Money in Sport reported in February that LIV Golf already had spent $5.3bn (£3.9bn) and was projected to surpass $6bn (£4.42bn) by the end of the year.
Sky Sports understands there was a lot of confusion among players, who would like some reassurances, but none of the team captains had been informed of any imminent announcement.
LIV CEO: We're in a wonderful position
LIV Golf launched in 2022 by paying roughly $1billion in signing bonuses to some of the PGA Tour's biggest names, such as Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Rahm.
Prize money for individuals and the 13 teams was raised to $30m this year.
But Scott O'Neil, the CEO of LIV Golf, was adamant: "If we keep the trajectory going the way we are and the revenue growth going, this is going to be a really good business for a really long time."
He was speaking on Thursday's TV broadcast to quell the rumours of the circuit's imminent demise.
"From a business standpoint, we did almost half a billion dollars in sponsorship last year with big brands like Rolex and HSBC, Aramco; these are global brands. I'm thinking we're in a wonderful position," he said.
"From a structural standpoint, this business will continue to evolve as it has over the last 12 months. The good news for us is that we know how to put on a show. We know how to grow the game.
"But will there be a change in how we operate? Of course. I would have told you that last year and six months ago. We are looking to blend a version of LIV and the national opens, the great national opens around the world. We think they're the most underappreciated, undermarketed, underdeveloped assets in golf, and the reason is it gets us on the ground to grow the game of golf."
He added: "If I am a PGA Tour player, I want LIV to survive. These prize purses are pretty good. Competition is good for business. If I'm a television network, I'd love LIV Golf to survive. It's good television. If I'm a reporter, it certainly makes the news a little spicier, or has occasionally. If you're a fan, you want more golf around the world.
"So I think there's a lot more to gain with LIV Golf here than LIV Golf gone."
The LIV Golf story so far
LIV Golf launched in 2021, funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), to serve as a rival to the established PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
Its emergence contributed to a division within professional golf, with some of the biggest names in the game like Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson defecting to the breakaway tour.
LIV began as a series of 54-hole tournaments, but switched to 74 holes for 2026 with the hope of securing Official World Golf Ranking points.
LIV had also announced for 2026 a total prize fund increase to $30m, with the team prize doubling to $10m alongside the $20m individual purse.
The Saudi-backed league started with 12 teams and 48 players, before expanding to 13 teams, but lost notable names in five-time major winner Koepka and former Masters champion Reed in the past few months.
No comments: