Inside LIV Golf's $267 Million Purse Upgrade and What It Changes

Feb 24, 2026, 8:07 AM CUT

Following another massive injection of cash, the financial machine of the LIV Golf league is once again roaring to life.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund has once again proven the league's bottomless pockets to be true, doubling down on the disruptive venture.

It has been revealed that on February 1, PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan authorized another eye-watering $266.6 million cash infusion. This takes the total Saudi investment in the breakaway circuit to $5.3 billion.

A radical restructuring of the league's payout system is the main reason for the latest cash infusion. To remain competitive, LIV Golf has increased prize money for the 2026 season by about $65 million.

Although individual tournament purses remain set at $20 million, the team prize pool has increased to $10 million per event. This means that every franchise will receive a share of the prize money, providing some financial assurance for the league's 13 distinct teams.

The upgrade will also implement a $2.3 million' individual via team' bonus pool. This gives the captains of the top three teams the ability to incentivise players, creating a new internal competition for the week.

What changes Will Be Made To The Tournaments

As for the LIV Golf tournaments, they will now follow the same rules as the rest of the world to gain professional golf credibility. This means tournaments will be standard 72-hole stroke-play events to receive Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

This will also implement a tournament style that has been deemed acceptable in the professional golf community.

The league is managing its overhead costs by reducing staging expenses. Noted by Performance 54 Group, though the number of events is increasing, "aggregate budgets have reduced," helping balance out the outsized player prize money increases.

Star player exits have also recently altered the league's P&L. The departures of Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, for example, provide considerable flexibility and partly offset the pain of the new $267 million headroom.

The Saudi-backed league is clearly not backing down amid merger speculation. Almost $100 million is being spent per month, with LIV Golf focusing on its "global golf" vision rather than short-term profits or customary optics.

Written by

Abhishek Sharma

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu