"It's been a colossal disaster" - Controversial golf journalist rips LIV to shreds

Saudi Arabia's attempts to use LIV Golf to launder its image through sportswashing were a "monumental failure from day one", according to journalist and author Alan Shipnuck.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) backed the breakaway tour from its inception in 2022 but announced in April that it would withdraw its multibillion-dollar backing.

The PIF had invested more than $5bn (£3.5bn) since LIV Golf launched in 2022, to much criticism. 

LIV subsequently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States in September, with court documents revealing liabilities of between $500m and $1bn.

London-based private credit firm BC Partners has proposed up to $300m in financing to support a restructuring following the PIF's retreat, with the league hoping to relaunch in 2027.

"As an exercise in sportswashing, LIV Golf's been a monumental failure from day one," Shipnuck told the most recent edition of the Off The Ball podcast.

"I mean, the average golf fan probably hadn't thought too much about [the murder of Saudi journalist] Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudi regime's role in his assassination until LIV Golf launched, and that became such a big talking point.

"And the human rights abuses in Saudi from political dissenters and all this stuff, it got talked about endlessly at the launch of LIV, and then things kind of quieted down, you know, a fatigue sets in, and that's kind of what sportswashing is all about."

Shipnuck added: "At some point, you get tired of asking the questions, and fans get tired of listening to them, and then that's how they launder the reputation, like, hey, these are just sports fans like me and you, and they love golf just like I do, so maybe they're not bad people, and that's what sportswashing is.

"But now, as you say, the whole thing has gotten so ugly and so messy, and there's been so much betrayal that once again, it's damaging.

"If the whole reason for LIV Golf was to try and improve the reputation of the Saudi power structure, now they've just pissed off a bunch of multinational corporations, a bunch of superstar athletes.

"They've left boards of tourism, venues, broadcast partners holding the bag.

"It's been a colossal disaster, and so the only people who have benefited from this are, of course, the players who got paid, but even now, that bill is coming due."

Shipnuck was referring to the fact that a number of LIV's original members have decided to walk away.

Chief among them is two-time major champion Jon Rahm, who reportedly gave up £75m ($100m) as part of a separation agreement.

His Ryder Cup teammate, Tyrrell Hatton, has also walked away.

Shipnuck said: "You look at Jon Rahm, who hasn't won a major championship since he went to LIV Golf.

"Now, he's going to be thrown into this possible two-year purgatory to try and work his way back to the upper levels of the game and all this stuff.

"Like, how many meetings did Jon Rahm have to have with his lawyers and his accountants and his managers throughout this season to talk all this stuff out, when he should have just been thinking about making birdies?

"You can go on down the list. So yeah, these guys got paid, but it actually came at quite a cost.

"In the end, it's a little Trumpian. Everything that LIV has touched has turned to ash, and so it's a case study in the perils of throwing in with these people who really weren't invested in the sport, who didn't have a history in the sport, who didn't have a deep stake in the sport.

"They had a very self-serving agenda, and the way they've just picked up and left behind this huge mess.

"I mean, it is certainly a cautionary tale for anyone who wants to get involved, not only with the Saudis, but really any sovereign wealth fund.

"They just want to come in and buy things, but do they really care? Do they really believe? Are they really invested in the future of these enterprises? You have to question that."