TL; DR
LIV Golf is set to part ways with the PIF and is on the hunt for a new backer
@golfbyrick drives the green from the…Lobby!?
Has Cutsy finally met his Hater match?
How many strokes can you shave by putting 10,000 times in 10 days?
Schefler, Reed and Korda still reing supreme
TOUR NEWS
LIV Golf is on the Hunt for a New Sugar Daddy
Background: LIV Golf is the Saudi-backed breakaway tour that launched in 2022 by doing what any sensible billionaire does — throwing obscene amounts of money at the problem. Mickelson, Rahm, DeChambeau all took the cheque. Can't really blame them.
What happened: After an estimated $5.3 billion and roughly $100 million a month in spending, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has decided golf is no longer their problem. PIF confirmed it'll fund LIV through 2026 and then that's your lot. The founding chairman has quietly exited the board, two new directors have been handed the poisoned chalice, and LIV is now doing the rounds looking for someone — anyone — to pick up the tab.
What else: Brooks Koepka has already packed his bags back to the PGA Tour. Patrick Reed followed. LIV's CEO insists the business is growing, while also admitting profitability might be ten years away. One tournament has already been postponed. The vibes are not great.
What's the key learning?
Turns out unlimited funding isn't actually unlimited. LIV had the rarest thing in sport, a nation-state writing blank cheques and still couldn't turn it into a sustainable business. A cautionary tale with a very large price tag.
Silver lining for the rest of us: if LIV folds, Rahm, DeChambeau and Smith are heading back to the PGA Tour. More stars, bigger Sundays, better golf. The most expensive experiment in golf history might accidentally leave the sport in better shape than it found it…
SOCIAL
The Back Back Tees...
On a recent golf trip to China, @golfbyoliver delivers a masterclass in Golf Trip lore
STREAM
This series is doing a great job exposing the “lying about your handicap” epidemic
How many strokes can Tim wipe from 10,000 Putts in 10 days…
SOCIAL
FedEx Cup Rankings (PGA)
1 | 🇺🇸 Scottie Scheffler | 11 Events/ 1 Win/ 7 Top 10’s |
|---|---|---|
2 | 🇺🇸 Cameron Young | 11 / 2 / 6 |
3 | 🏴 Matt Fitzpatrick | 12 / 3 / 5 |
4 | 🇺🇸 Collin Morikawa | 10 / 1 / 5 |
5 | 🇰🇷 Si Woo Kim | 15 / 0 / 7 |
DP World Tour Rankings
1 | 🇺🇸 Patrick Reed | 8 Events/ 2 Win/ 5 Top 10’s |
|---|---|---|
2 | 🇬🇬 Rory McIlroy | 5 / 1 / 3 |
3 | 🇿🇦 Jayden Schaper | 13 / 2 / 5 |
4 | 🇿🇦 Casey Jarvis | 12 / 2 / 5 |
5 | 🏴 Aaron Rai | 2 / 1 / 1 |
LPGA Rankings (Race to CME Globe)
1 | 🇺🇸 Nelly Korda | 7 Events/ 3 Win/ 7 Top 10’s |
|---|---|---|
2 | 🇰🇷 Hyo Joo Kim | 7 / 2 / 4 |
3 | 🇹🇭 Jenoo Thitkul | 9 / 2 / 4 |
4 | 🇦🇺 Hannah Green | 6 / 2 / 4 |
5 | 🇨🇳 Ruoning Yin | 10 / 0 / 4 |
Until next week,
Hop