Saudi Arabia on verge of pulling LIV Golf support, FT reports

LIV Golf, the upstart league that challenged the supremacy of the PGA Tour and hosted the LIV Golf South Africa event at Steyn City in March, might be losing Saudi Arabia as a key financial backer, according to a report in the Financial Times.

An announcement on the kingdom’s support for LIV Golf could come Thursday, the newspaper said in citing people familiar with the matter.

Read:
Steyn City LIV Golf showpiece puts Joburg in global spotlight
SA startup Old School cracks athleisure with NBA, Man City deals

The move would likely bring an end to the breakaway league that fractured professional golf by luring top players with big paychecks and fundamentally altered the economics of the sport.

LIV’s Saudi backers have been keen for the league to continue in some form, especially after sinking so much money into it, but are unwilling to keep funding the competition indefinitely if it keeps up its rate of losses, people with direct knowledge of the strategy of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund said earlier this year.

It is unclear at this stage about the LIV Golf South Africa event in 2027, which organisers confirmed would take place again at Steyn City next April. The SA event could now also be in jeopardy.

Read:
‘It’s the economy, stupid’: What LIV South Africa really showed us
South Africa in talks with six firms to raise funds for F1 races
South Africa touted as a top golf tourism destination

The scenes on the 18th hole #LIVGolfSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/GDb0GGiy4w

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) March 21, 2026