LIV Golf

[The Squirrel]

"as planned"

That means no change doesn't it?

https://twitter.com/x/status/2044537824007856398

I've been saying this for a few years and it's not sinking in with some people, what the media tell you isn't always the truth.

You seem, erm, “inexperienced” at reading corporate speak. It doesn’t mean that at all.

“Continue as planned” is a legally safe way for a company to say absolutely nothing about the future externally, as you don’t know what the internal plans they are continuing with are - they therefore can’t be accused later of financial regulatory dishonesty.

The story is in every major international newspaper and organisation far beyond golf so to suggest it’s just the “PGAT aligned golf media” is just very silly.
Failing to rebut every random tweets is one thing, but failing to rebut very clearly damaging stories in the FT and Wall Street Journal basically means you can’t. So they’re clearly largely true.

If there was any plan to continue then the tour needed to remain credible so absolutely had to squash this. You can’t sign up Bryson or anyone else to another deal when there’s no credibility that you’ll be around long; and LIV’s has shattered in 48 hours.

LIV is a dead man walking. Right now every LIV golfer from Rahm/BDC down is desperately trying to find a pathway to another tour as soon as possible. I can’t see how they can even complete the current season - I mean almost nobody was interested before; who’s going to to be interested now in a tour in its death throws with every member scrabbling for the escape hatch?

 

[WorldHandicapSystem]

Since when was the Financial Times aligned to the PGAT ?

https://www.ft.com/content/76dfb7ee-ebf4-4030-8c8f-1c0c23ef5b67?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Or Mel’s mate FlushingIt?

The response from LIV is classic corporate crisis management. Keep saying everything is fine until it’s not. Nothing they have put out would suggest there are issues behind the scenes.

The ai generated email from the boss would have me sending my CV to the recruiters if I worked there. Although it did have some comedy value given the liv players performance at the Masters.

 

[JonnyGutteridge]

I am guessing Mel’s latest payment arrived overnight

 

[WorldHandicapSystem]

 

[The Squirrel]

Just read that CEO Email. Given the one last payday nature of the LIV roster, I can’t decide whether the “you mattered” close-off - note the past tense - is tragic or hilarious.

 

[Bazz]

Rory's had a great week.

 

[Depreston]

Since when was the Financial Times aligned to the PGAT ?

https://www.ft.com/content/76dfb7ee-ebf4-4030-8c8f-1c0c23ef5b67?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Yeah i didn't believe it but when the FT are running with it and also The Athletic to a lesser extent there's truth in it its no longer just the "corrupt golf media"

 

[Fore Right]

Fully expect Scott Oneal to appear on the Liv Broadcast tonight to address all these rumours..

 

[IanM]

The announcement will say they are cutting to 36 holes on the weekends of Majors as most of their guys are available....

 

[irip]

Fully expect Scott Oneal to appear on the Liv Broadcast tonight to address all these rumours..

Yeah and again it will be corporate speak that actually means nothing.
Which I’m not critical of as every company would do the same.
It will be along the lines of carry on as normal.
He simply can’t say anything else but has to say something.

 

[Depreston]

Yeah and again it will be corporate speak that actually means nothing.
Which I’m not critical of as every company would do the same.
It will be along the lines of carry on as normal.
He simply can’t say anything else but has to say something.

or he might be delusional enough that he can find backers to keep this thing going

 

[irip]

or he might be delusional enough that he can find backers to keep this thing going

I think Mel has been digging round the back of the sofa or we could start a forum go fund me page.

 

[The Squirrel]

or he might be delusional enough that he can find backers to keep this thing going

It’s more he’s in an impossible position. He can’t say anything bad and as CEO has to look authoritative and like he’s in control, but the actual funding decisions are made at PIF level and handed down to him - he’s not party to them.

If the plug was suddenly pulled on LIV then he’ll find out a few minutes before the rest of us. At most.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Fully expect Scott Oneal to appear on the Liv Broadcast tonight to address all these rumours..

What do you think will happen if PIF do stop the funding ?

Will they restructure to reduce their costs significantly ?

Or will they dissolve into the other tours

Or find some other way to get the funding

 

[BrianM]

It’s more he’s in an impossible position. He can’t say anything bad and as CEO has to look authoritative and like he’s in control, but the actual funding decisions are made at PIF level and handed down to him - he’s not party to them.

If the plug was suddenly pulled on LIV then he’ll find out a few minutes before the rest of us. At most.

That’s not true in my experience, the CEO is fully involved and well aware of what’s happening.
He just has to shield it from his team.

 

[The Squirrel]

That’s not true in my experience, the CEO is fully involved and well aware of what’s happening.
He just has to shield it from his team.

But LIV is not like a normal company where the CEO is the top. All meaningful decisions are taken at PIF level, not LIV.
Think of it as a small department in the PIF. Would a departmental manager know much about what’s going on at board (PIF) level…?

 

[Fore Right]

What do you think will happen if PIF do stop the funding ?

I think their pretty much done mate.

The funding they need to find to keep it going is so big and the chance of any return in the short term (5 years) is extremely low.
Partnering with another tour is what they are probably going to be running around trying to do before the end of this season.

Recent reporting seems to have shifted now to funding being pulled now to being pulled at the end of the 2026 season.

Donald Trump always said he would bring Pro Golf back together, just had to push us closer to WW3 in order to do it

 

[Arthur Wedge]

That’s not true in my experience, the CEO is fully involved and well aware of what’s happening.
He just has to shield it from his team.

I think he knows what’s happening but they have events coming up that have already been funded so they need to keep going as tickets have been sold etc

 

[Arthur Wedge]

I think their pretty much done mate.

The funding they need to find to keep it going is so big and the chance of any return in the short term (5 years) is extremely low.
Partnering with another tour is what they are probably going to be running around trying to do before the end of this season.

Recent reporting seems to have shifted now to funding being pulled now to being pulled at the end of the 2026 season.

Donald Trump always said he would bring Pro Golf back together, just had to push us closer to WW3 in order to do it

There was prob enough of a cash injection put in at the start to get them through most of the season

I guess it’s why BDC contract hasn’t happened

 

[Orikoru]

You seem, erm, “inexperienced” at reading corporate speak. It doesn’t mean that at all.

“Continue as planned” is a legally safe way for a company to say absolutely nothing about the future externally, as you don’t know what the internal plans they are continuing with are - they therefore can’t be accused later of financial regulatory dishonesty.

The story is in every major international newspaper and organisation far beyond golf so to suggest it’s just the “PGAT aligned golf media” is just very silly.
Failing to rebut every random tweets is one thing, but failing to rebut very clearly damaging stories in the FT and Wall Street Journal basically means you can’t. So they’re clearly largely true.

If there was any plan to continue then the tour needed to remain credible so absolutely had to squash this. You can’t sign up Bryson or anyone else to another deal when there’s no credibility that you’ll be around long; and LIV’s has shattered in 48 hours.

LIV is a dead man walking. Right now every LIV golfer from Rahm/BDC down is desperately trying to find a pathway to another tour as soon as possible. I can’t see how they can even complete the current season - I mean almost nobody was interested before; who’s going to to be interested now in a tour in its death throws with every member scrabbling for the escape hatch?

Yeah, I think your last point there is spot on. The applecart has been shaken now. All the top LIV players will be making calls about where they're playing next season and what they need to do to make that happen. They're not going to leave it to chance.