Things don’t seem to be settling for LIV Golf since rumors around the PIF stopping funding after this season began to circulate. Even Sergio Garcia’s claims couldn’t help much – Yasir Al-Rumayyan told him the league was contracted for many years to come. And neither could CEO Scott O’Neil’s clarification that the season will continue as planned and uninterrupted, not once but twice.  And now, after a recent disclosure from golf insider Trey Wingo on his podcast, things appear to be spiraling further down the line, possibly worsening the situation.

Wingo shared insights from an anonymous insider who revealed that the sports arm of the PIF—the administrative body overseeing the kingdom’s massive investments in the English Premier League, Formula 1, soccer, tennis, and LIV Golf—has been subject to a strict pre-planned investment freeze. The source also indicated that the decision to halt fresh capital was made long before the recent escalation of regional tensions began.

“One of the sources that has been helping the Wingo network understand what’s going on in the story said something very interesting. This person said that the sports arm of the PIF, which is where all the, you know, English Premier League, Formula 1, Soccer, Tennis, and LIV Golf, all this stuff, they’ve been frozen on investing for over 6 months. They have not been able to invest any fresh capital for the last 6 months. So when you hear ‘Well, it’s, you know, the war and all this kind of stuff,’ it really isn’t,” Wingo said.

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“That’s why you saw the reports of a lot of the LIV  players saying they weren’t going to go out to the field in Mexico City because they hadn’t gotten their first-quarter payments yet. Those assets have been frozen for 6 months. and the sports arm of the PIF was told 6 months ago, we are not you are not allowed to invest any more capital.”

During the LIV Golf Mexico event, Scott O’Neil confirmed that while they have secured funding through 2026, the league will have to search for outside capital to survive beyond that.

“The reality is you’re funded through the season and then you work like crazy as a business to create a business and a business plan to keep us going. But that’s not different from any other private equity-funded business in the history of mankind”.

Just one day after that admission, these new details from Wingo clarified so many things going on in the background.

Golf Channel reported on Wednesday that some anonymous LIV players threatened to skip Thursday’s opening round in Mexico City because they hadn’t received their Q1 performance payments. And in January 2026, a senior source in Saudi Arabia told BBC Sport that there was a shift in the kingdom’s attitude toward some investments.

It said, “More money has been put into AI and the tech sector. There is pressure in Saudi Arabia to make sure that we’re inviting in the right things that are sustainable and bring a return, and I don’t see how LIV Golf is going to do that.”

Last year, it was revealed that LIV’s net losses in its international markets were $461.8 million.  That makes three straight years of losses over $100 million, after $395.9 million in 2023 and $243.7 million in 2022. It means PIF has lost more than $1.1 billion since LIV was established in 2021.

Most importantly, the change in approach is not limited to golf. Just one day after the reports of the LIV funding freeze, the PIF announced the sale of a 70% stake in Al-Hilal, the kingdom’s most successful soccer club, to Kingdom Holding Company for approximately $373 million.

And O’Neil has said in February that the league is still 5 to 10 years away from profitability, a timeline that the PIF may no longer be willing to subsidize.

And with eight events still left on the schedule after Mexico City, there is a massive question mark over what happens next.

PGA Tour CEO also weighs in on LIV Golf’s future during this chaos

In light of this turmoil, Brian Rolapp addressed the situation during an appearance on Trey Wingo’s podcast. When asked about the potential collapse of LIV Golf and welcoming players back, Rolapp remained cautious but open.

“I’m interested in doing whatever makes the PGA Tour better. Fans want the best players playing together. Having said that, I don’t know what the circumstances are. Once there’s clarity, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Rolapp said.

When Brooks Koepka rejoined the PGA Tour earlier this season, Rolapp initiated a “Returning Member Program” designed to bring not just Koepka, but the elite players who won the PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP and any major event between 2022 and 2025. After his recent comment, it is possible that the PGA Tour commissioner will again open the door. But for now, the door is closed.

But even when everything appears incredibly grim, Scott O’Neil still believes in his “7.5 billion person bet.” He still believes that the league will secure the outside funding it desperately needs.

“This is business, but if we keep the trajectory going the way we are and the revenue growth going, this is going to be a really good business for a really long time”.

Still, if the LIV Golf tour does fold, it would represent a huge opportunity for Europe’s DP World Tour. As LIV proved, there is a massive global appetite in regions like Australia and South Africa, and the DP World Tour is perfectly positioned to capitalize on the vacant global markets left behind by LIV’s collapse.