SA’s LIV Golf team insist league is going nowhere but acknowledge challenges

LIV Golf has been under pressure since reports surfaced that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the league, was going to pull the plug.

Initially, the news suggested LIV was going to die a sudden death, but over the two weeks since those first reports, details slowly emerging suggest it might be more of a slow death, unless a cure is found.

Despite rhetoric from both sides, it’s clear these are still deeply uncertain times for LIV, after four years and billions spent to shake up the golf establishment.

The Southern Guards’ inner circle admitted to initial uncertainty, but not to panic or denial. As star player Dean Burmester put it, “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t affect probably everybody in the league” when the latest wave of speculation hit.

His honesty was matched by a kind of stubborn optimism and the sense that LIV is entering a new phase, not ending one.

The Public Investment Fund is set to change its funding model for the league, which has already sucked more than $5-billion from its near trillion-dollar stockpile.

In relative terms, LIV Golf is a small bucket in a vast lake of the fund’s money, but even the Saudis are becoming cautious with spending. They are more closely counting the pennies, especially in these uncertain times around the US/Israel-Iran war, which has sent the entire Middle East into financial strain.

What was supposed to be financial backing until 2032 appears to be ending by 2027.

The show goes on

LIV chief executive Scott O’Neil has done what his jobs demands he must – continued to sell the organisation as a global league that is to the benefit of the game of golf.

LIV is trying to sell equity stakes in its teams and create capital that way. How much commercial appetite there is for the team concept in golf, is going to be tested in the coming weeks and months.

It’s obvious that teams such as the Southern Guards and Ripper GC, made up of South Africans and Australians respectively, have gained traction.

They’ve tapped into a national identity, but most of the other LIV teams do not have this common trait.

There is no denying that LIV Golf has started to attract more sponsors and gain some traction with the golfing public, particularly outside the US and Britain.

But whether it can maintain paying $30-million prize funds for the 14 events on the roster, or the $60-90-million price tags to stage a LIV Golf event, without the fund’s cash, is debatable.

“From a player perspective, I think it’s difficult to have any disappointment (about the Public Investment Fund potentially pulling the plug) because of what they were able to offer us for the last five years as players,” Burmester said.

“We all understand when we signed up, it could have lost us three months, it could have lost us a year, it could have lost us two years. Nobody really knew what the plan was. Initially, it was just a start-up and there were a bunch of guys who took the initial leap, and then I joined on.

“But even when I joined on, there was a level of uncertainty. And right now, there is an uncertainty. The fund has guaranteed us until 2026.

“That doesn’t mean that they’re not in for 2027. They’ve just asked to kind of see how we can change things, possibly. How that happens, we don’t know either.”

Southern Guards general manager Richard Glover acknowledged that details about the future are an ongoing discussion.

“Scott’s (O’Neil) gone on the record to say that the business model of LIV Golf was always going to change,” Glover said. “Momentum in the business from a revenue growth perspective is there. Look at some of the sponsors the league has signed in the last year – almost half a billion dollars of sponsors have been signed.

“Salesforce, Rolex, Reebok, Under Armour, HSBC – it’s a long list of blue chip brands. Looking at it from a South African lens, as a team we’ve signed the likes of Standard Bank, WeBuy Cars, KWV Brandy, Rhino Whisky.

“From an event perspective, you saw Pernod Ricard involved, Castle Light – the list goes on. There’s a lot of momentum and there’s a lot of revenue backing for this league and for the future of the league.

“Personally, I think the war in Iran has probably fast-tracked things to a degree, but there are several meetings happening at LIV Golf Virginia next week.

“We’ll have a much better sense of the future direction and the future business model. But we don’t see anything to believe LIV Golf won’t be here in 2027. So, we’re very optimistic and continuing to have these conversations.”

SA success

The irony, from a local perspective was that the inaugural LIV Golf South Africa at Steyn City last month, exceeded all financial and event expectations.

More than 100,000 people attended, and by other metrics it was a huge success.

“For a first year to get over 100,000 people, considering the weather (there was heavy rain) and stuff is incredible,” Glover said.

“The live TV audience on SuperSport in SA was bigger than three of the four 2025 majors, and bigger than the 2025 Ryder Cup. We actually delivered record merchandise sales for LIV South Africa. It was the biggest merchandise sales in history, even bigger than Adelaide.

“There’s a lot of positive momentum and we’re having a lot of really good conversations with new sponsors, both from a team and event perspective.”

There is no doubt that South Africans embraced LIV Golf, and Australians have too. There are a few other pockets around the world where LIV is also thriving.

On the downside, the league has not been able to attract any more superstars.

Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau (who won in SA) remain its two biggest drawcards. The uncertainty over the future is not helping on that front.

DeChambeau is one of golf’s biggest stars, whether in LIV or on other tours. He also has a huge following of nearly three million subscribers on his YouTube channel.

It’s imperative for the league that he stays contracted to LIV Golf. His contract expires at the end of the current season and it’s unclear if he will stay on beyond 2026.

It also didn’t help that LIV announced the postponement of its event in New Orleans in June because the course wasn’t up to standard, at such a sensitive time. The reasoning behind the decision might be purely for golfing reasons, but the optics are not good at the time when LIV is fighting the perception that it’s collapsing.

The postponement of the event to an unspecified date later in the year, doesn’t look good less than two weeks after O’Neil declared that LIV will carry on “exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle”.

It also leaves a huge six-week gap in the schedule during the northern hemisphere summer, which from a high-performance perspective for LIV Golf members set to play at The Open in July, is not ideal.

“I live back in SA now and I think I can honestly say that I’ll probably be playing something. What that is yet, I’m not sure. But yeah, you do need to stay sharp,” Burmester said in response to the New Orleans news.

“If it is six or seven weeks off or whatever it may be, you can’t be just sitting at home gaining weight. That’s not going to do your golf game any good. You’ve got to be active and stay active. It is the job.” DM

FACT BOX: LIV’S NEW TEAM‑INVESTMENT MODEL

Why the shift?
“The plan was always to move away from centralised ownership.”
Funding pressures have “fast‑tracked” the transition.

What LIV is selling?
Minority equity stakes in teams.
First deals expected to be announced this year.

Who’s buying?
Private equity firms
Ultra‑high‑net‑worth individuals
Corporations
“Well‑known athletes and celebrities”

What teams need to show?
Local fan base
Event footprint
Commercial partners
Long‑term growth potential

Southern Guards’ advantage?
Investor interest already received
Driven by LIV South Africa’s scale and visibility

End goal?
A Formula One‑style league where teams are investable assets, not cost centres.