紐時賞析/沙烏地抽銀根止損 高球界忐忑

Saudi Fund to Back Away From LIV Golf Under Mounting Financial Pressures

沙烏地抽銀根止損 高球界忐忑

LIV Golf won’t be funded by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia after the 2026 season, the PIF said in a statement Thursday, and the upstart golf tour will proceed with a newly created independent board with chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan reportedly no longer at the helm.

沙烏地阿拉伯公共投資基金(PIF)宣佈,自2026賽季後將不再爲LIV 高球提供資金。這項新興高爾夫巡迴賽未來將由新成立的獨立董事會運作,現任董事長魯馬揚將卸任。

The PIF said, "The substantial investment required by ⁠LIV Golf over a longer term is no longer consistent with the current phase of PIF's investment strategy. "

PIF表示:「LIV 高球長期所需的龐大資金投入,已不再符合本基金現階段的投資策略。」

The Saudi league splashed into professional golf in 2022, attracting some of the sport’s biggest stars with contracts that exceeded — by tens of millions of dollars — their career earnings with more established circuits like the American-run PGA Tour.

沙國支持的這個聯盟於2022年強勢進軍職業高爾夫,以高出數千萬美元的合約挖角多名頂尖球星,報酬甚至超過他們在傳統巡迴賽(如美國PGA巡迴賽)的生涯累積收入。

The move comes as Saudi Arabia’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund announced a new five-year strategy on Wednesday, with the fund’s governor saying it would slow down some of its biggest projects as it focuses on “increasing the efficiency of investments.”

規模達1兆美元的沙國主權基金宣佈新一輪五年策略。基金總裁表示,將放緩部分大型計劃,轉而強調「提升投資效率」。

Saudi officials have said that the oil-rich kingdom is reevaluating its priorities amid mounting financial pressures, including the cost of its pledges to host the World Expo in 2030 and the men’s soccer World Cup in 2034.

沙國官員指出,在財政壓力升高之際,產油大國正重新檢視發展優先順序,包括2030年世界博覽會與2034年世界盃男子足球賽的龐大支出。

LIV’s new “strategic plan” involves soliciting new long-term investors and is the first formal acknowledgement of LIV’s attempts to move forward with new leadership and without funding from the PIF beyond 2026.

LIV高球的最新「戰略計劃」將引入長期投資人,並首度承認,在PIF預計於2026年後停止資金支持下,聯盟正轉向新領導架構自謀生路。

The loss of Rumayyan, though, represents a sizable shift away one of golf’s main characters in recent years. While Norman was the primary face of LIV’s ascent, Al-Rumayyan was the somewhat mysterious force in the background, providing funding and making deals. He was the core figure in the June 2023 “framework agreement” with the PGA Tour to end pending litigation and discuss a potential deal between the two sides.

魯馬揚的退出,象徵近年高球界一個關鍵角色的退場。若說諾曼是LIV高球崛起的門面,魯馬揚則是幕後主導資金與交易的關鍵人物。 魯馬揚也是2023年6月與PGA美巡賽簽署「框架協議」的核心人物,當時雙方同意停止訴訟並探討可能的合作方案。

As recently as February 2025, Al-Rumayyan, Monahan, Tiger Woods and other power players met in the White House’s Oval Office in hopes that President Donald Trump could help broker an agreement. Instead, talks went cold immediately after that meeting. Fourteen months later, PIF and LIV Golf have separated.

甚至在2025年2月,魯馬揚、莫納漢(PGA主席)、老虎伍茲等關鍵人物曾在白宮橢圓形辦公室會面,希望由美國總統川普協助促成協議。 但會談在會後隨即降溫。14個月後,PIF與LIV 高球正式分道揚鑣。

文/Brody Miller,譯/國際中心

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