Just two weeks after the uncertain future of LIV Golf dominated the news cycle, one of LIV’s upcoming events will not go on as planned.
In a joint statement released Tuesday, Louisiana governor Jeff Landry and economic development secretary Susan Bourgeois confirmed LIV Golf’s June 25-28 tournament at Bayou Oaks at City Park in New Orleans will be postponed and possibly rescheduled for later this year.
The news of the likely postponement was first reported by WDSU on Monday. Sources told the news station the state of Louisiana planned to postpone the event until LIV could restructure financially and find additional sources of funding.
Sources with knowledge of LIV Golf operations said the league had been working with the Governor’s office and Louisiana Economic Development to consider new timing opportunities in September or October, although financial issues were not mentioned. The source said the event had been postponed to avoid peak summer heat in Louisiana, ensure the course is in championship-caliber condition and avoid any attendance conflicts with the World Cup; it’s unclear why those factors weren’t considered when the event was originally scheduled.
The latest LIV Golf development comes just two weeks after several outlets reported LIV’s financial backer, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), was on the verge of pulling its funding. This stemmed from a PIF announcement made the same day outlining a strategic shift for the next five years.
LIV CEO Scott O’Neil addressed the reports in an email to staff, saying, in part: “Our season continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.” Although in a TV interview during that week’s tournament in Mexico, O’Neil said, “The reality is you’re funded through the season, and then you work like crazy as a business to create a business and a business plan to keep us going.” The clip was later deleted.
According to Tuesday’s statement, Secretary Bourgeois spoke with O’Neil on Friday, and O’Neil said LIV wanted to postpone and explore a potential event this fall.
“The state has already paid $3.2 million in accordance with the contract,” the statement read. “LIV is expected to return all state incentive funds, with the exception of the $2 million already invested in upgrades for City Park, ensuring those improvements remain in place for the community. We appreciate LIV’s good-faith efforts and look forward to maintaining our partnership as we continue conversations around an event later this year.”
LIV Golf’s next event is scheduled for May 7-10 at Trump National in Washington, D.C. Its season-ending Team Championship is scheduled for Aug. 27-30 in Michigan.
