Report: Marquee LIV Golf signing will quit league if Saudis 'get stingy'
A high-profile LIV Golf player will reportedly walk out of the league at the end of 2024 should he not receive the same terms of his initial contract.
A marquee LIV Golf player will walk away from the breakaway tour at the end of 2024 if the Saudis 'get stingy' and don't offer the same terms as his first deal, according to a report.
Fire Pit Collective journalist Alan Shipnuck made the claim in the most recent edition of his Q&A series AskAlan.
The topic was whether the PGA Tour are actually willing to play ball and partner with LIV's financiers, the PIF of Saudi Arabia.
Or whether the established North American circuit is attempting to 'run out the clock'.
In other words, are they hopeful the superstar golfers who signed five-year contracts with LIV in 2022 will come crawling back to the Tour?
Such a prospect does seem unlikely given LIV's biggest signing to date, Jon Rahm, signed a five-year contract with the breakaway in December 2023.
Surely PIF officials would be willing to triple down on their investment to get a seat at the table of men's professional golf.
Afterall, Rahm's signing came at the very same time the PGA Tour started courting interest from private equity investors.
The accepted rationale behind Rahm's transfer was the Saudis reminding their rivals: we aren't going anywhere.
And it wouldn't be unreasonable to suggest that LIV's chairman, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, is a man who likes being told 'no'.
Shipnuck reported:
You can read the full Q&A here.
Who was Shipnuck referring to?
Well, LIV's biggest signings include Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Rahm.
All are said to have been paid in excess of $100m to join LIV.
Related: LIV Golf fees to players: How much do LIV Golfers get paid?
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The report comes at the same time long-time LIV sceptic Tiger Woods delivered his verdict on potential Saudi investment into the PGA Tour.
Woods stated negotiations with the PIF is ongoing but ultimately conceded he did not know what their intentions are within the men's game.
Like Jordan Spieth before him, Woods, 48, said PIF investment is by no means necessary given the $3bn deal with SSG.
His comments were in stark contrast to Rory McIlroy, who has urged the hostilities between the circuits to end.
The Ulsterman wants those in charge to facilitate a world tour.
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Ben joined GolfMagic as Content Executive in September 2021 just before the Ryder Cup and has contributed significantly to the growth of the site. Ben now assumes our Content Manager role, specialising in PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf content.
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