LIV Golf officially postpones New Orleans event from June

LIV Golf and the state of Louisiana have postponed the league's golf event in New Orleans that was slated for June but left the door open for a different version of the tournament later this year.

The official announcement Tuesday came one day after reports emerged that LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil and Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development Susan Bourgeois agreed to postpone the event in the wake of reports that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund was preparing to pull funding from LIV.

"Secretary Bourgeois spoke with LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil on Friday and was informed that the organization seeks to postpone its June 2026 event in New Orleans to explore a potential event this fall," Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said in a statement Tuesday.

Landry's statement confirmed Monday's reports that Louisiana has so far paid $3.2 million of a $7 million agreement. LIV "is expected to return all state incentive funds" totaling $1.2 million; the other $2 million was spent on improvements to the golf course, Bayou Oaks in City Park.

"We appreciate LIV's good-faith efforts and look forward to maintaining our partnership as we continue conversations around an event later this year," Landry said. "We are grateful for the work of our local partners and the collaboration that supported this effort."

LIV Golf Louisiana was slated for June 25-28, and in the near term, its postponement leaves a gap on the 2026 schedule between LIV Golf Andalucia in Spain (June 4-7) and LIV Golf UK (July 23-26).

It also marks the first canceled or postponed tournament since it was reported earlier this month that the Saudi Arabia PIF planned to end its funding for the league it helped launch in 2022.

LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil had promised employees in an email that the league was safe and the current season would go "exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle."

NOLA.com reported Monday that LIV was exploring a smaller, "exposition-style" event in New Orleans in the fall. The league's team championship in late August is the last event currently scheduled, with the LIV Golf Louisiana event now listed at the bottom of the website's schedule page without a date.

Field Level Media has reached out to LIV Golf for comment.

--Field Level Media