Golf insider: PGA Tour unbothered over reports of LIV's $250m lifeline

LIV remains in trouble despite reports the breakaway tour has found a lifeline to keep afloat in 2027, according to golf reporter Dan Rapaport.

The breakaway tour, which launched in 2022 after luring multiple PGA Tour winners, major champions and ageing European Ryder Cup stars with gargantuan contracts and $25m prize purses, has been in peril ever since Saudi Arabia announced it will withdraw its financial backing at the end of the season. 

The seismic announcement left their chief executive, Scott O'Neil, in a race against time to secure funding from new investors to keep the league afloat in 2027. 

O'Neil previously revealed LIV needed between $300-350m and had to secure the cash by the beginning of September to plan accordingly for next season. 

There have been no on-the-record updates from O'Neil for several weeks and it appeared the writing was on the wall as reports surfaced that the $40m team championship, in Michigan, was set to be cancelled. 

But a stunning report from The New York Post on Wednesday claimed reports of LIV's demise were premature, with the rebel league on the brink of securing an investment of at least $250m.

Per The Post: 

"LIV Golf has received 'multiple written commitments from blue-chip investment firms that would serve as anchor investors to support the league' going forward.

"The prospective 'anchor' investors 'have submitted qualified term sheets' that would 'support the formation of a financing syndicate with sufficient backing to capitalize' what LIV Golf is calling 'LIV 2.0.'"

LIV officials have not commented on the report. 

O'Neil reportedly emailed players and staff this week, though, saying that he remained "encouraged by ongoing discussions with potential investors". 

And the former NFL exec made no mention about the 2026 showpiece being canned. 

"Let's continue to stay focused on delivering at Bedminster next week and planning for the individual and team championships as we complete a successful 2026 season," he wrote.

Still, the aforementioned Rapaport believes whilst the news may be positive for LIV, the long-term health of the league is far from certain. 

"I think LIV will continue next year in some form," he told Dan on Golf. 

"But I will say that I feel like it's less attractive to a golfer who is actually trying to be a world class player than ever before to build a legacy and make a career.

"There is no value in it even now beside the money. 

"This is year four and you were hoping that winning a LIV tournament would mean something and carry some weight and it doesn't, beside the money.

"I think it's even more true in LIV 2.0 where $250m is not enough money for them to keep giving out $40m in a single week.

"It's going to be smaller, it's going to be different, it'll probably continue but let's just say I think the days of the Jon Rahms and Bryson DeChambeaus going over there are probably over.

"Even now with the money it has not translated to audience, so I find it hard to believe a scaled down LIV is going to break through or challenge. 

"Maybe that is no longer the goal, maybe the goal is no longer to be a true competitor to the PGA Tour.

"But I don't think the PGA Tour will be bothered at all by this kind of news."

Meanwhile, the PGA Tour is continuing to make announcements about schedule changes that will be rolled out in full from 2028. 

PGA Tour chief exec Brian Rolapp announced in June that the 2028 schedule will feature a Championship and Challenger Series, with players switching levels based on performance. 

The Championship Series will be for the elite and will feature field sizes of at least 120 players, prize purses of $20m and a traditional 36-hole cut. 

The Championship Series will be played concurrently. 

This week, the PGA Tour confirmed that Sentry, which previously sponsored the opening stop in Hawaii, will be the headline sponsor of the Torrey Pines event in San Diego. 

On Monday, it was announced that the annual Travelers Championship in Connecticut would be a Championship Series event sponsored by Sompo.