The Louisiana legislature is looking to spend $7 million to help bring LIV Golf tournament to New Orleans.
This comes after WDSU broke the news that the LIV Golf League is close to making a deal to come to New Orleans.
Sources confirm to WDSU that the Saudi-backed rival of the PGA Tour is in the final stages with state leaders to bring a tournament to Bayou Oaks at City Park in summer 2026.
Sources tell WDSU the LIV League is working on committing to New Orleans on a multiyear contract, possibly ensuring tournaments are played in the city for three years.
The first could be played as soon as June 2026.
According to Senate President Cameron Henry, $2 million would be used to upgrade the Bayou Oaks golf course, and $5 million would be given to LIV Golf League as a hosting fee.
The funding was inserted into a bill during a Senate hearing Sunday, essentially clearing the way for the event.
Henry told WDSU that the event could generate $60 million in revenue for New Orleans.
The name “LIV” refers to the Roman numerals for 54, the number of holes played at LIV events.
LIV is a rival league to the PGA Tour and is funded by a Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund that has tried to reinvent the structure of professional golf with 48-man fields, no mid-tournament cuts and up to $25 million in prize money. There is also a team component. The league is run by Greg Norman, a former PGA Tour star who tried nearly 30 years ago to create a world tour. LIV Golf lured away 13 former major champions, including Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, who were then suspended by the PGA Tour.
The kingdom has been investing in sports and entertainment in recent years as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s initiative called “Vision 2030” to diversify and reduce its dependence on oil. Golf was a natural fit.
It has led to accusations of “sports washing,” an attempt to use sports investments to gloss over human rights abuses, such as the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the CIA says occurred on the orders of bin Salman.
In June 2023, the PGA Tour dropped its fight with LIV Golf and instead announced a merger aimed at creating a global operation featuring the world’s top players, backed by the Saudis’ massive wealth.
While a merger between the two leagues is not complete, President Donald Trump, who has supported LIV since it began, recently met with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan in hopes of getting a deal done.
Last year, the LIV golf league explored a tournament in New Orleans that would have coincided with Super Bowl LIX in the city, multiple sources confirm to WDSU.
In February 2024, LIV Golf hosted its first-ever event in Las Vegas to coincide with Super Bowl LVIII, which was being played in Sin City.
While that event never materialized, sources tell WDSU that representatives from Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s office traveled to the LIV event in Nashville last year and continued communication with league leaders.
The PGA Tour will host the Zurich Classic of New Orleans next month at TPC Louisiana.
New Orleans has hosted the PGA Tour annually since 1938.
The 2024 Zurich Classic was the most successful in tournament history, setting records for attendance and resulting in more than $3 million being donated to various children’s charities throughout the metro area.
Sources tell WDSU the addition of LIV in New Orleans should not be considered a rival to the PGA’s Zurich Classic but an enhancement aimed at making New Orleans an even bigger player when it comes to hosting major sports events.
READ MORE:Legislators look to spend $7 million to help bring LIV Golf League to New Orleans
