Ian Poulter says he’s been told LIV Golf is here to stay.
And his source?
The governor of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.
“I talked to his Excellency last week,” Poulter said, referring to a name given to Yasir Al-Rumayyan. “He told me, never mind 2024, 2025 — LIV will go on and on.”
Poulter’s revelation comes as part of a lengthy interview this week with the Telegraph’s James Corrigan, and you can — and should — read the entire piece here. It also comes under a time of at least some uncertainty as LIV plays its year’s final event.
The biggest question ahead? What will come of the proposed agreement that will bring together the PGA Tour and the PIF. The latter also funds LIV, and LIV has fought for players and prestige with the
Tour since its inception in June of 2022 — so one could deduce that LIV’s future could be in doubt, should the deal pass.
Then again, it may not; various reports are saying as much, and the Tour might be looking elsewhere. Then there are LIV’s players themselves. At this week’s event, Phil Mickelson was asked if he thought more Tour players would sign on with LIV.
In response, Mickelson jumped on a word.
“Do I think so? » Mickelson said. “No. I knew it would happen.
“When players watch LIV, they want to be a part of it. Everyone here is happy and enjoys what we do, enjoys the team aspect, enjoys each other, enjoys the camaraderie and enjoys playing golf around the world and enjoying all the benefits that come with it. from this tournament.
“So there are a lot of players who see that and want to be a part of it. The question is, you know, how many spots are available. There’s a lot more players that want to come than there are spots.”
There was more LIV Golf player confidence this week. Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson, team captains in the league, said there’s been outside interest in purchasing their franchises.
How much interest?
“To answer your question, anywhere from 10 to 20 people have asked to buy the RangeGoats,” Watson said of his team. “There were three games in Singapore [where LIV played earlier this year], then Singapore opened the floodgates; even more. There have been discussions this week. I met a few people this week. Yes, there are some.
Is there any courage in that? Maybe. It would be surprising to hear LIV actors say the opposite. However, the players interviewed were unanimous in their belief in the future.
And last week, at LIV Golf’s event in Saudi Arabia, Poulter talked with the man who is talking with the PGA Tour.
But could Al-Rumayyan be believed? Could things change? It should be noted that in late June, weeks after the announcement of the deal, Al-Rumayyan told LIV captains that the league was his “f**king baby,” according to a story written by Sports Illustrated’s Alex Miceli.
In his story for the Telegraph, Corrigan wrote this question:
“How does he [Poulter] know Al-Rumayyan will not abandon the league in a truce of self-interest, a deal of shared-gain?”
Poulter answered confidently.
“Because I was there and talked to him,” Poulter said in the Telegraph story. “And he is passionate as he was at the very beginning in all this. He loves the concept, loves how it’s progressing and the impact it’s made and is making. You see it throughout the sports world, not only in golf.”
At the least, we should know soon. The proposed agreement did have a deadline of the end of the year.
And LIV started this season in February — and would presumably do so next year.
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