Trump, PIF Chief Meet at LIV

Morning Edition

August 10, 2026

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LIV Golf’s funding future took center stage at Bedminster on Sunday. President Trump and Saudi PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan were both on site. And the appearance comes just days after LIV claimed to have found a new lead investor.

—Ben Axelrod and David Rumsey

First Up

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The Senate pushed a vote on the college sports bill to September before leaving for its August recess.

PIF’s Yasir Al-Rumayyan Joins Trump Amid LIV Golf Funding Push

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As LIV Golf continues to face uncertainty with its funding, a familiar face has reappeared.

Saudi PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan stood alongside U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of the final round of LIV Golf’s event at Trump National Bedminster on Sunday. Al-Rumayyan is the league’s former board chairman and was once one of its biggest backers—before PIF pulled its funding this past April.

Joaquin Niemann won the tournament, taking home the $4 million winner’s check, and Jon Rahm, despite his T41 finish, clinched the season-long individual championship, which comes with a $6 million bonus.

Sunday is believed to be Al-Rumayyan’s first appearance at a LIV tournament since February’s event in Riyadh. While the nature of his visit remains unclear, the timing is certainly noteworthy. LIV has remained in regular communication with the PIF as the Saudi fund’s so-far-amicable exit plays out, a source with knowledge of the league’s operations told Front Office Sports, evidenced by Al-Rumayyan’s presence at Bedminster on Sunday.

“I think he needed to have some conversations with the president,” Bryson DeChambeau said after the final round in which his Crushers GC won the team competition at Bedminster. “That was a whole ’nother thing. I’m not going to get involved with that. But it was great to see him out here. I think he’s done wonders for us and the global game of golf. How it moves forward, I think there’s a great place for the PIF and where they want to be moving forward. Where that is, I’m not exactly sure. I have no idea.”

Earlier this week, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil announced the league has secured a new lead investor, but didn’t offer specifics. Bloomberg later reported that BC Partners’ credit arm was considering a loan. Ted Goldthorpe, the head of BC Partners Credit, was also at Bedminster on Sunday, a source told Front Office Sports.

“The investor, from the conversations I’ve had, has a new and fresh vision on this product,” DeChambeau said, without naming names. “It won’t be changing too much, but it’ll be changing in the right ways. He sees the vision. He wants to pursue it even more than what we’ve previously done, and he’s excited, from what I can tell.”

Given the nature of their arrangement, the PIF would have to sign off on any new LIV investors. Earlier this summer, O’Neil said the league was seeking $350 million in funding amid the uncertainty that followed PIF’s decision to pull out following the 2026 season.

Although the league’s newfound funding appears to be an encouraging sign for the future of LIV Golf, plenty of questions regarding LIV’s future remain. That includes the status of the league’s $40 million team championship, LIV Golf Michigan, which FOS previously reported is expected to be canceled.

“We have not made any final, formal decisions and hope to in the coming weeks,” O’Neil said earlier this week when asked about the season finale.

The event is no longer listed on Fox Sports’s LIV broadcast schedule. Additionally, LIV U.K. media rights holder TNT Sports announcer Craig Doyle said after the final round of LIV Golf Indianapolis, scheduled for Aug. 20-23, “That is going to be—at this stage I think we can call it—it is going to be the final event in LIV Golf 2026, when the team championship event will be decided.”

LIV declined to comment.

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More Talks Ahead

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“I expect this topic will continue to receive significant attention.”

—WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert wrote in a memo to teams that transgender participation in women’s basketball will be discussed during a meeting next week with team presidents and GMs. She also noted the league’s current gender eligibility rules are in the CBA and that future discussions will include the players’ union.

Engelbert called the issue “complex and nuanced” and said “preserving the integrity of our game and ensuring fair competition” remain among the league’s highest priorities. The memo comes as more sports organizations, including the IOC and WTA, have recently updated their policies on transgender participation.

DAILY SPORTS TRIVIA

Can you rank the top five MLB players with the most career walks (bases on balls)?

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