Bland says LIV future hinges on players, not just money

Richard Bland says LIV Golf will only survive if the players want it to survive.

The English veteran told BBC South Today that members remain in the dark about what happens next. Money for a new league is in place, he said, but that alone will not keep it alive.

"It will rely on player support," Bland said. Without that backing, he added, there is no guarantee the plan widely branded as 'LIV 2.0' goes ahead BBC Sport.

The uncertainty follows a turbulent two months. In August, LIV announced it had secured an unnamed lead investor to keep the competition running in 2027. Then in early September it filed for bankruptcy protection, with at least $45m (£33m) owed to players.

That filing came as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund prepares to end its multibillion-dollar backing at the end of this season. The PIF bankrolled LIV from its launch as a breakaway rival to the established tours, offering guaranteed contracts and 54-hole events with no cut — no weekend elimination for low scores.

Bland, who joined LIV in 2022 and played for Martin Kaymer's Cleeks GC team, said the shift caught players cold. They had been told in Riyadh in late January that LIV was funded through to 2032. That assurance, he said, came directly from PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

The 2021 British Masters champion did not hide what the move meant for him personally. Asked about reports he had earned more than $20m on LIV, he said they were "somewhere in the right ballpark".

For fans, this means the next LIV season is a numbers game off the course as much as on it. A lead investor can pay bills. Only a field strong enough to sell tickets, sponsors and television can make a league stick.

Bland knows both sides of professional golf. He became the oldest first-time winner in European Tour history when he won the 2021 British Masters at The Belfry at the age of 48. He then won the 2024 Senior PGA Championship — one of the majors on the over-50s circuit — on his very first senior start.

He was also one of the earliest to commit to LIV, saying before the inaugural invitational event in 2022 that he would play even if it led to a ban.

Now, four years on, the question is simpler and harder. The cash to start again may be there. Bland's message is that players still have to say yes.