Morning Buzz

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund who founded LIV Golf alongside Greg Norman nearly five years ago, has stepped down from his position as chairman of the LIV board, according to three people briefed on the matter.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that LIV was planning to tell its staff members and players on Thursday that the PIF would pull its funding of the league at the end of the 2026 season. Further, the London Telegraph reported late Wednesday that LIV CEO Scott O’Neil already had informed some players and staff of the move by PIF, and that Thursday would be a formal announcement by PIF.

Al-Rumayyan’s move to step down is another layer in the PIF’s decision to pull back from LIV, as the league is expected to add new board members while it seeks additional investment. Al-Rumayyan, an active golfer himself, has championed LIV from the very beginning, including the league’s franchise-based model and team golf competition.

He was part of the small circle that negotiated the “framework agreement” with the PGA Tour in 2023 and was at the White House meeting in early 2025 with President Trump, the PGA Tour’s Jay Monahan, Tiger Woods and Adam Scott, when it appeared the sides were close to hammering out a deal.

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LIV Golf plans to tell players and staff by Thursday that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will “no longer bankroll the circuit after this season,” according to sources cited by the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The move “sounds the death knell for the upstart that sowed chaos in professional golf by plowing billions into the sport and poaching A-list players.” The sources said that while LIV has “grown the sport globally, the operation was no longer consistent with the new phase of PIF’s investment strategy.” A source said that LIV is “already in talks with outside investors.” But even as the circuit “seeks outside investors to keep it afloat, it will be nearly impossible for it to exist bearing any resemblance to its current form after the Saudis lost billions on the endeavor.” As LIV evaluates its strategic alternatives beyond 2026, its players will “have to address their own futures.” One thing has “already become clear: The mainstream golf world isn’t ready to simply welcome them back.” Brooks Koepka rejoined the PGA Tour from LIV this year through a one-time returning member program, but that is “unlikely to be available to LIV’s remaining high-profile players” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/29).

Notre Dame is set to announce a restructuring of responsibilities atop its athletic department, Sports Business Journal has learned.

Ron Powlus is set to be named the first COO in school history, while Garrett Chapman will be appointed Deputy AD for Finance (effectively CFO). Katie Capps will also be named Senior Associate AD for Internal Operations and SWA-in-waiting. Deputy ADs Jody Sadler and Aaron Horvath are also slated to add a handful of responsibilities as part of the reorganization, though their titles won’t change. Deputy AD Jenny Borg, too, remains part of the executive leadership team.

The shifts come after months of discussions between AD Pete Bevacqua and other stakeholders across Notre Dame’s senior leadership related to how to best staff the department amid persistent changes in the college sports landscape.

“I’ve always been a big proponent of putting together a strategic plan, taking the time to do that and making it inclusive,” Bevacqua said of how he approached the reorganization. “The worst thing you can do with a strategic plan is just disappear into your office and come out like Moses with the Ten Commandments. That’s just not my style.

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An Iranian soccer federation delegation, including a former member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said that they “turned back at Toronto’s main airport this week, citing ​their treatment by Canadian immigration, and are set to miss a pre-World Cup FIFA gathering in Vancouver.” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that the delegation members, including Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran President Mehdi Taj -- a former member of the IRGC -- as well as ‌Secretary General Hedayat Mombeni and his deputy Hamed Momeni, “turned back upon arrival despite holding valid visas,” citing what was described as the “unacceptable behaviour of immigration officials.” The Iranian delegation “was en route to Vancouver for Thursday’s FIFA Congress,” which is meant to bring together representatives of all 211 member associations ahead of the 2026 World Cup this summer (REUTERS, 4/29).

News site Iran International broke the story that Taj was on his way to the FIFA Congress, “but was put back on a plane shortly after landing in Toronto.” Despite the IRGC -- a branch of the Iranian military -- being listed as a “terrorist organization” by Canada, Taj “was granted a temporary resident permit to enter Canada.” Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says that Canada’s “position on Iran and the IRGC is clear,” but says that the permit “should not have been issued.” The issue is “likely to resurface for Canada during the World Cup.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that there “are no concerns with Iranian players, but there are questions about people surrounding the team” (GLOBALNEWS.ca, 4/29).

TGL’s newest team, Motor City Golf Club, is set to unveil its brand identity on Thursday. The circular logo, designed by Doubleday & Cartwright, ties into Detroit’s automotive history with a checkered-flag, blue-and-white pattern. MCGC is the seventh franchise in TGL, which starts its third season in 2027.

MCGC hasn’t yet signed any players. It expects to have between 6-8 employees by the time the season begins this winter. The team currently has two employees -- Andy Walters and Tom McInerney -- who both have a history working on the PGA Tour’s Rocket Classic in Detroit.

The team is owned by PE group Middle West Partners, whose lead investors include Michael Hamp, Peter Hamp and Kevin Kelleher.

The USTA has signed Oura to a wide-ranging sponsorship that designates the wearable tech provider as the “official wearable fitness device” of both the U.S. Open and USTA Coaching for the next five years.

With the deal, for which financial terms were not disclosed, Oura will:

• Offer every athlete competing in the U.S. Open main draw an Oura ring, including on-site fitting and recovery education.
• Become a founding partner of the new player performance center opening on the U.S. Open grounds in 2027 -- a tenant of the now-billion-dollar campus upgrade the USTA is undertaking -- including naming rights to a wellness and recovery area inside.
• Receive brand visibility via on-court logo placements at Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums, LED messaging, and signage.
• Activate a fan engagement experience on-site, including product giveaways, sleep/recovery education, and personalized health insights.

There will also be integrations across USTA verticals outside of the U.S. Open. For example, Oura plans to collaborate on health and wellness studies with USTA Coaching, a grassroots coaching platform launched by the USTA last fall, and will sponsor the USTA League National Championships starting this year.

Oura, which hit an $11B valuation during its Series E raise last fall, is the USTA’s first wearable partner. It’s also recently signed deals with U.S. Soccer, the U.S. Olympic team, and the LA28 Games.

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The WNBA’s Toronto Tempo played their first game ever on Wednesday at Coca-Cola Coliseum, and “normalcy reigned” for the preseason bout against the Sun -- which drew a sellout crowd of 8,210. Fans “waited in long lines for merchandise” ahead of the game, as players “went through shootaround and seats slowly filled in anticipation of tip-off.” The “energy kicked up a few notches” when starting lineups were introduced, and Tempo G Kia Nurse, from Hamilton, Ont., “received the honour of being announced last, and the sellout crowd ... offered a loud roar welcoming back their hometown star.” Sun C Brittney Griner “scored the first bucket in the history of the building,” while Nurse “landed the first Tempo basket, swishing a three-pointer and sending the crowd into a frenzy.” Earlier in the night, a pre-game hype video “showed behind-the-scenes footage of the warp-speed draft and free-agency process” before ending with the slogan “The Future Starts Now” (CP, 4/29).

It was a “last chance to smooth out game-day protocols” in the arena ahead of the regular season, “from anthems to media interviews, sound checks to dance team performances.” The Tempo “even had staff with signs outside at the GO Train station directing new fans where to enter” the arena. The game “was packed,” even as the Raptors “were locked in a playoff game with the Cavaliers in Cleveland at the same time” (GLOBE & MAIL, 4/29).

Tubi today will premiere a new docuseries dubbed “Destination World Cup 2026″ that follows USMNT MF Weston McKennie, Wales MF Harry Wilson and Spain D Marc Cucurella as they prepared for the World Cup over the last year at both the club and national team level. The six-episode series, which will run on Thursdays through June 4, was a collaboration between 4.4.Forty and U.K.-based Headers & Volleys Entertainment. Both production companies have ties to UTA, while 4.4.Forty is also tied to Klutch Sports Group.

“The access we were given was pretty unique -- to them and to their families -- and we really became part of their lives for the best part of the year,” said H&VE’s Nick Emmerson, who directed the series. “We needed a big American star and we don’t think there’s anyone bigger than Weston. And we really landed on our feet because he’s had the best season of his life for Juventus.”

Fox, which owns Tubi, helped facilitate some pitchside filming access for the recent U.S.-Portugal friendly, a Turkey-Spain World Cup qualifier and three matches for the Welsh team against North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Belgium. “The footage that we got was really beautiful,” said Emmerson. “We combined it with licensed material to bring those games alive.”

4.4.Forty Head of Content Danny Barton noted Tubi “raised their hands” to be a distribution partner early in the process knowing it would be a landing place for World Cup content (including two group stage game simulcasts). Barton has also helped land “On the Rise: JuJu Watkins” at NBC/Peacock and Wizards C Anthony Davis’ prank show at TBS (both are Klutch clients). “We really felt like the [soccer] audience will be zoned in on Fox and TV during that time, and there’s not a better place for the show to land,” Barton said of Tubi.

On this week’s pod, SBJ media reporters Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter break down Disney’s decision not to spin off ESPN, as well as The CW landing on ESPN’s app. The NFL Draft’s opening round was surpisingly down on TV, and Caitlin Clark and the Fever set a record with 44 national broadcasts. Also, Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen breaks down what to expect at the Kentucky Derby.

Puma posted adjusted earnings of $60.5M (all figures U.S.) “before interest, taxes and one-time effects,” which “exceeded” the $54M average of analyst estimates. Sales of $2.17B were “just ahead of expectations.” Shares “rose as much as” 2.8% in early Frankfurt trading as the brand “makes progress on its turnaround efforts.” The stock is up more than 12% this year after collapsing by about half in 2025. In addition, the company appointed Mark Langer as its new CFO. Langer was previously finance chief at beauty retailer Douglas AG and will succeed Markus Neubrand on May 1 (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 4/30).

World Rugby and IMG have agreed to a long-term media rights partnership designed to further accelerate rugby’s growth in the U.S. and globally ahead of the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in 2031 and 2033 -- both of which will be hosted in the U.S. IMG will help World Rugby shape a media and market strategy that will include advisory on U.S and global media rights, distribution, content and in-market initiatives in the lead up to the Rugby World Cups. IMG will also provide broader consulting across the global World Rugby media rights ecosystem. World Rugby was advised on the growth plan by Jeffries (IMG).

“The 1848 Seneca Falls Declaration added these 2 words to the Declaration of Independence line beginning, ‘We hold these truths…’”