Yasir Al-Rumayyan has ended his tenure as chairman of the board of LIV Golf at a critical moment for the circuit, coinciding with the decision of the Fondo de Inversión Pública de Arabia Saudí (PIF) to withdraw its funding from the end of the 2026 season.
According to various sources close to the situation, the departure of Al-Rumayyan —a driving force behind the project alongside Greg Norman— is another step in the pullback process of the PIF, the main financial backer of the league since its creation in 2022. Reports published by The Wall Street Journal and The Daily Telegraph indicate that the decision will be communicated officially to players and staff, after it has already been announced internally by the current CEO, Scott O’Neil.
The move represents a major turning point in the future of the Saudi circuit, which is now working on a restructuring that will include new members on its board of directors and the search for external investors to ensure its viability beyond 2027.
Al-Rumayyan, chairman of the PIF since 2015 and also the head of Newcastle United, has been a key figure in the development of LIV Golf from its beginnings, defending its franchise-based model and team competition format. He also formed part of the small group that negotiated the framework agreement with the PGA Tour in 2023, an attempt at rapprochement that never materialised beyond the end of the litigation between the two parties.
He was also present at high-level meetings, such as the gathering held at the Casa Blanca in early 2025 alongside then-president Donald Trump, the PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, and players such as Tiger Woods and Adam Scott, when a definitive agreement between the parties seemed close.
Meanwhile, the executive management of LIV, led by O’Neil since 2025, is seeking to strengthen the commercial appeal of the circuit. The executive has recently highlighted revenue growth close to 100 million dollars in 2026 thanks to sponsorship deals with companies such as HSBC and Salesforce.
However, the withdrawal of the backing of the PIF creates significant uncertainty for LIV Golf, which will have to reinvent itself without the financial muscle that allowed it to burst onto the world golf scene and attract some of the biggest stars on the international circuit.
