In January, just ahead of the new LIV Golf season, LIV published a press release announcing a partnership with Rolex, mentioning the 2026 schedule “beginning with the opener in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from February 4–7.” The press release included a quote from Arnaud Boetsch, Rolex Director of Communication and Image. But LIV Golf has yet to display Rolex as a partner on its website, and Rolex does not list LIV among its golf partnerships, even after a total revamp of Rolex.com just before Watches and Wonders.
The development comes as LIV Golf, which reportedly loses hundreds of millions of dollars a year, now faces the possibility of closure. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which has financed the league since its 2022 launch, is nearing the end of its support as it faces tighter finances after years of weak returns, heavy spending and now the war in the Middle East.
LIV Golf is a direct competitor to the PGA Tour, with which Rolex has spent decades building relationships — perhaps one reason for LIV absence from Rolex.com both in its “Rolex and Golf” section and in the biographies of the nine Testimonees who joined the league. Phil Mickelson’s profile, for example, highlights his 45 PGA Tour victories but makes no reference to his current league, four years after joining it. The same is true for Jon Rahm, who moved to LIV in late 2023.
Rolex has spent nearly six decades building golf into its largest sports empire, sponsoring more players than in any other sport, and it’s unclear whether the brand is pulling away from the Saudi-backed league as doubts grow over its future. The league has been controversial from the start, with critics describing it as a Saudi “sportswashing” project in the wake of the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
When Mickelson joined LIV Golf in 2022, he lost major sponsors — including KPMG, Amstel Light and Workday — after comments he made describing the Saudis as “scary motherfuckers to get involved with” and mentioned the kingdom’s “horrible record on human rights.” Rolex, however, decided to keep him as a Testimonee.