LIV Golf and Louisiana officials postpone the tour's New Orleans event

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — LIV Golf said Tuesday it was working with Louisiana state officials to move its inaugural June tournament in New Orleans to the fall, but stopped short of guaranteeing the event would take place at all.

“We have made the strategic decision to explore moving LIV Golf Louisiana to a new window,” LIV Golf said in a statement provided to The Associated Press. "This shift allows us to avoid the peak summer heat and the crowded global sports calendar while ensuring the course is in the championship condition our fans and players expect.

“We are grateful for the continued partnership and flexibility of the state of Louisiana as we work together to deliver a world-class debut this fall,” the statement continued. “Our team is focused on maintaining the strong momentum of the 2026 season and we look forward to sharing finalized dates in the near future.”

The original June 25-28 dates for the event at Bayou Oaks at City Park fall during soccer's World Cup, which is being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. New Orleans is not hosting World Cup games.

The postponement means LIV Golf would not have any tournaments in the United States for a three-month period from northern Virginia on May 7-10 at Trump National until the Aug. 6-9 tournament at Trump Bedminster in New Jersey.

The development comes two weeks after LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil assured staff and players that the season would continue “uninterrupted and at full throttle.” O'Neil was responding to speculation the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia would no longer provide financial support to a league that already has spent more than $5 billion since it began in 2022.

Louisiana officials said last August when the tournament was announced that they had agreed to pay LIV Golf $5 million and spend an additional $2.2 million on improvements to the Bayou Oaks course.

Louisiana has paid $1 million to LIV so far, and that will be reimbursed, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said.

“LIV is expected to return all state incentive funds, with the exception of the $2 million already invested in upgrades (to the golf course), ensuring those improvements remain in place for the community," Landry said in a written statement. “We appreciate LIV's good-faith efforts and look forward to maintaining our partnership as we continue conversations around an event later this year.”

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf