Bland reveals LIV funding assurances as players weigh proposed successor league

Richard Bland has said LIV players were assured at the start of the year that the league would be funded until 2032, before its financial position changed dramatically. Speaking to BBC South Today, the English golfer described continued uncertainty over a proposed successor competition and said its survival would depend on enough players agreeing to take part.

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BBC Sport reported that LIV filed for bankruptcy protection in early September with at least $45 million owed to players. That followed April's announcement that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund would end its backing at the close of the season. In August, the tour announced an unnamed lead investor for a competition intended to run in 2027, a proposal commonly described as LIV 2.0.

Bland said the earlier funding assurance had been delivered at a player meeting in Riyadh around late January by PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan. According to Bland, players left that meeting feeling positive about the league's future. Reports that the backing would not continue emerged around an event in Mexico in April, when Al-Rumayyan stepped down from the board. Bland said the reversal had surprised many players.

The 53-year-old said funding for the proposed new league was in place, but stressed that this alone did not guarantee the competition would proceed. His account made player commitments a separate requirement, with decisions about signing up still important once the existing league's situation was resolved. He also described the difficulty facing staff and LIV chief executive Scott O'Neil as they tried to establish a route forward.

Bland joined LIV in 2022 and played in its first event in London before representing Martin Kaymer's Cleeks GC. He told the BBC that reports of earnings above $20 million during his time on the circuit were broadly accurate. Explaining his decision to join at 49, he said the financial opportunity had offered security for his family.

His career also includes becoming the European Tour's oldest first-time winner at the 2021 British Masters and winning the 2024 Senior PGA Championship on his senior debut. Bland said his financial position meant he would be less affected than some younger players if the successor league did not materialise. He nevertheless remained uncertain about how the proposed competition would develop.