Bryson DeChambeau stood at a press conference in Busan on the eve of the 2026 LIV Golf Korea and said he was surprised after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund pulled future funding from LIV Golf beyond 2026.
DeChambeau was back in action for the first time since missing the cut at the 2026 PGA Championship, and he used his first words on the course to confront the sudden financial shift. "We were surprised that [the PIF] pulled out as quickly as they did. We didn’t really see that coming," he said.
The pullout forces a numbers problem into sharp relief: with the PIF gone as a future backer, LIV Golf must find other investors to stay afloat into 2027 and beyond. DeChambeau said he remains upbeat about the model he signed up for. "I think we all have optimism that there is a business plan that makes sense for team golf," he said, adding, "We’ll see if investors like it or not."
DeChambeau framed his own role in simple terms. "I’m giving all I can to make it happen, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t happen," he said, later adding a lighter note about what fans can expect on the first tee: "I go out there on the first tee on Thursday and hit a beautiful drive down the middle of the fairway, hopefully." He also said, "The simplest and best way he can contribute to LIV Golf’s survival is to play his best, sign autographs, and have a good time."
There was a different rhythm to Dustin Johnson’s response ahead of the same South Korea event. When asked directly about the Saudis’ pulling of funds, Johnson gave a three-word answer: "That's it" — a terse line that underscored the brief, public reaction from one of the earliest marquee defectors to the breakaway circuit.
reported that Johnson was among the first big-name players to join LIV Golf in 2022 and said he reportedly collected a $125 million check to join, after earning $81 million while competing on the PGA Tour — figures that underline how much capital entered the new series early on and why the PIF’s withdrawal is seismic.
The immediate weight of the PIF decision is clear and simple: without that future funding, LIV Golf’s backers and executives must secure new capital quickly if the league is to press into 2027. DeChambeau acknowledged as much when he said, "But again, other models have worked as well, so I’m not going to say that one is better than the other, but I do see value in what team golf can provide not only worldwide but also in grass rooting the game of golf." He added bluntly that "ultimately it is up to the executives to secure LIV Golf’s future."
That statement exposes the tension at the heart of the moment. Players say they believe in the team product; executives now carry the practical burden of selling that belief to investors. Sports Illustrated’s SI Golf Fact or Fiction has been parsing whether LIV needs a schedule adjustment to survive, and voices inside that conversation proposed competing strategies: Bob Harig said the focus almost certainly needs to be international and suggested events in Australia, South Africa, Canada, Mexico City, and South America.
Others argued for keeping a stronger presence in the United States. Jeff Ritter told SI that LIV should not abandon the biggest sports market on earth and suggested 4-5 events per year in the United States. John Schwarb added that it is hard to imagine LIV playing only twice in the U.S., calling the sweet spot "three or four U.S. stops." Those options are not mutually exclusive, but they point to sharply different pitches for would-be investors.
For now, the practical choices are narrow: find financing, restructure the schedule to match investor appetites, or accept a smaller footprint in 2027. DeChambeau’s optimism and players’ public composure will matter for fans and sponsorships, but the league’s fate now rests on boardrooms more than scorecards.
If new investors do not materialize and executives cannot agree on a viable calendar — domestic or international — LIV’s path to 2027 will be tenuous at best. The league’s players are prepared to play and to sell the product; the question left standing after the PIF announcement is whether anyone else will write the next check.
