LIV Golf informed the majority of its staff on Wednesday that their jobs had been terminated, as the embattled golf tour faces financial uncertainty following the conclusion of its 2026 season.
The circuit is battling for financial survival after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund announced it would stop funding the league beyond the 2026 season.
The 2026 season came to an end at the weekend in Indianapolis, concluding a week earlier than scheduled after LIV canceled its planned season finale. The team championship in Michigan had been slated to take place this week.
The job cuts were first reported by Golf Digest. The terminations did not come as a surprise to employees, as tour leadership reportedly alerted staff in July that layoffs would occur in the coming months.
The specific number of employees impacted by the layoffs and the departments in which they work are currently unknown. LIV Golf is believed to maintain a total workforce of around 300 staff members.
Staff Reductions and Transition Plans
A spokesperson for LIV Golf confirmed the operational changes in a statement to Golf Digest, explaining that employee contracts will end in early September as the organization restructures.
"The funding commitment announced by PIF earlier this year will reach its conclusion," the spokesperson told Golf Digest. "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."
The spokesperson added: "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."
Tour Launch and Financial Background
The rebel golf circuit launched in 2022 with financial backing from the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, the sovereign wealth fund chaired by the Saudi state. The fund was created to deploy state capital across global markets and domestic development projects.
To attract top talent, LIV Golf paid nine-figure bonuses to lure high-profile players away from the PGA Tour, North America's primary professional golf tour. Star golfers including Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm signed with the new circuit, which offered prize purses of $20m per event.
Troubles mounted earlier this year when the Public Investment Fund announced it would no longer fund the circuit after the 2026 season. The financial reduction had already forced organizers to cancel one scheduled event in New Orleans.
Search for New Investors
Scott O'Neil, the chief executive of LIV Golf, revealed last week that an investor had been lined up to fund the league's operations for the 2027 season and beyond.
"LIV Golf has an agreement in place with a lead investor, signed by the investor and approved by the Board, to anchor the transaction and play a key role in supporting the path forward for the League’s next era, driven by and for the players," O'Neil said.
O'Neil indicated that the tour is actively seeking additional financial partners to build a broader ownership group.
"We’re also seeing strong interest from more than a dozen additional parties to potentially serve as minority investors, creating a multi-partner model built for long-term stability and growth," O'Neil said.
"Notably, our next chapter will make our players the majority equity holders in LIV Golf, a first for a major global sports league, and gives the League the foundation to keep growing the game worldwide."
LIV Golf 2.0 and Circuit Future
The identity of the lead investor has not yet been officially confirmed by LIV Golf leadership.
Golf Digest reported that BC Partners, a private equity firm based in London, is believed to be the investor. BC Partners has existing business ties to GSE Worldwide, an athlete management agency that represents a sizable portion of LIV's player roster.
The strategic blueprint for LIV Golf 2.0 envisions a streamlined schedule of 10 team events each year, with five hosted in the United States and five held at international locations around the world.
Organizers plan to stage events leading into golf's four major championships, creating a schedule that allows participants to compete on other global circuits. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton already compete on the European tour, officially known as the DP World Tour. Meanwhile, the PGA Tour maintains a strict policy enforcing a one-year ban for any players who compete in LIV Golf events.
