Talor Gooch sends clear message about LIV Golf future amid league funding fears

Talor Gooch has insisted he has “no worries whatsoever” about the future of LIV Golf, despite growing speculation that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) could withdraw its financial backing beyond the 2026 season.

Speaking at the official rebrand of his team from Smash GC to OKGC, the 2023 LIV Golf Individual champion struck a confident tone as uncertainty continues to swirl around the breakaway league.

LIV Golf confirmed the franchise’s transformation into OKGC on Tuesday, marking the first time a team has been directly aligned with a U.S. home market. The move signals a significant evolution in the league’s long-term structure, with Oklahoma now serving as the team’s official base.

At the centre of the rebrand is four-time LIV winner Gooch, a proud Oklahoma native, who has played a leading role in shaping the team’s identity.

“This is incredibly meaningful to me,” said OKGC captain Gooch. “Oklahoma is where I grew up and where I learned how to compete. To represent this state around the world is something I’m really proud of.”

The newly branded OKGC will debut at LIV Golf Virginia from 7–10 May, featuring a lineup of Gooch, Graeme McDowell, Jason Kokrak and Harold Varner III.

The team’s new identity includes a bison-led logo symbolising strength and resilience, alongside the number 46 — a nod to Oklahoma’s admission as the 46th U.S. state in 1907.

Gooch’s appointment as team captain earlier this year followed the departure of five-time major champion Brooks Koepka, who left LIV Golf at the end of 2025 to return to the PGA Tour.

While the rebrand represents a positive step for the franchise, it comes against the backdrop of mounting reports claiming the PIF is set to end its investment in LIV Golf after 2026.

Initial claims last week surfaced via golf journalist Ryan French, before gaining rapid traction through outlets including the Financial Times, The Telegraph and Fox News. 

Reports have suggested LIV Golf will need to secure new financial backing to continue beyond its current funding cycle in 2027. 

The Saudi PIF has invested an estimated $5 billion into the league since its launch in 2022, underwriting blockbuster player signings such as Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, as well as funding regular $20 million prize purses.

Despite the uncertainty, LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil has maintained that operations remain “full throttle”, while acknowledging the need to secure long-term sustainability beyond the current season.

Several high-profile players have since played down speculation that LIV is in any danger. 

European Ryder Cup legends Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood have both voiced confidence in the league's future, as well as DeChambeau sticking around past this season, while the league's latest winner Rahm says he has been reassured there is no cause for concern. 

Australia’s Lucas Herbert has also echoed similar sentiments during an interview with Flushing It, insisting he has no intention of leaving the circuit.

For Gooch, the ongoing noise is quite simply nothing new.

“No, no,” Gooch told a pool of reporters when asked if he was at all worried about LIV's future. 

“Since June 2022, there have been questions every single week about the future of LIV. It’s just another week for us.

“I’m confident. I believe in this and have no worries about the future whatsoever.”

Watch Gooch's comments in full here:

Uncertainty may linger around LIV Golf’s financial future, but inside the ropes, confidence remains intact. 

If the latest comments of Gooch and his peers are anything to go by, those closest to the league are not losing sleep just yet.