Saudi Arabia poured over five billion dollars into LIV Golf — a rebel league designed to challenge the PGA Tour. Then, without warning, they pulled the plug. The golfers who had defected were left completely in the lurch. And now, some of them may have to come crawling back. In this episode, we break down one of the biggest collapses in sports business history and pick up five B2 expressions that work just as well in the boardroom as on the fairway.
⚡ 5 Key Expressions
Expression 01
Pull the plug
To make a decisive decision to end something — especially a project, program, or partnership that has been struggling. The phrase comes from the very literal image of unplugging a machine from its power source. In a hospital context, "pulling the plug" on life support is one of the most final acts imaginable. In business and everyday English, the phrase carries that same weight: this isn't a pause or a delay — it's an ending. When Saudi Arabia pulled the plug on LIV Golf, five billion dollars and four years of effort came to a stop almost overnight.
- "The board voted to pull the plug on the overseas expansion after two consecutive years of losses."
- "I finally pulled the plug on that series I'd been half-watching for three months."
Expression 02
In the lurch
To be abandoned at the worst possible moment — left in a difficult situation with no support and no clear way out. The phrase has a surprisingly old origin: it comes from "lourche," a French board game popular in the 16th century, where a player could be trapped in a losing position with nowhere to move. The game disappeared, but the phrase survived. The key ingredient is betrayal — you're not just struggling, you've been left behind by someone who was supposed to be on your side. LIV golfers gave up their PGA Tour standing, and when the money stopped, they were left in the lurch with nowhere to go.
- "My co-worker quit without notice and left the entire project team in the lurch."
- "The supplier cancelled last minute and left us completely in the lurch before the launch."
Expression 03
Bleed money
To lose large amounts of money continuously — at a rate that suggests something is seriously and structurally wrong, not just temporarily expensive. The word "bleed" is deliberate: it implies a wound, something ongoing that will eventually be fatal if left untreated. You don't bleed money from a one-time purchase or a bad quarter. You bleed money when the underlying model is broken. LIV Golf reportedly spent a hundred million dollars per month this year alone. That's not an expense — that's hemorrhaging. The phrase almost always signals that collapse is coming unless something fundamental changes.
- "That department has been bleeding money since the restructure — someone needs to make a decision."
- "The project bled money for eighteen months before they finally pulled the plug."
Expression 04
Sole backer
The only financial supporter of a project, organization, or venture. "Sole" simply means "only" or "one and only" — you'll find it in sole survivor, sole purpose, sole responsibility. A "backer" is someone who funds or supports something, particularly in business or creative contexts. Being the sole backer of anything is an inherently fragile arrangement: there is no safety net, no second opinion, no backup. When the sole backer walks away, everything stops. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund was LIV Golf's sole backer from day one — which is why its exit was immediately terminal for the league.
- "The startup's sole backer pulled out during the Series A, and the company folded within weeks."
- "She was the sole backer of the community theatre for years — when she moved away, they had to close."
Expression 05
Come crawling back
To return to someone or something after rejecting or betraying them — humbly, and usually out of necessity rather than choice. The verb "crawl" is doing all the emotional work here. You walk somewhere with dignity. You crawl on the ground, defeated, with none. This phrase always implies that the person coming back had too much pride to stay the first time, and now that pride has been thoroughly destroyed. The PGA Tour's CEO said this week that there would be consequences for players who broke their contracts to join LIV. Coming crawling back, it turns out, could cost up to ninety million dollars in reentry fees.
- "He quit with a very dramatic speech, then came crawling back three months later asking for his job."
- "After the deal fell through, they had to come crawling back to the original supplier on worse terms."
🎭 The Dialogue: The Last Round
Maya and Alex are colleagues catching up at a coffee shop on a Friday afternoon. Maya has her laptop open. Alex walks in looking like he has news — and he does.
📍 A coffee shop near the office, Friday afternoon. Maya is scrolling through headlines. Alex drops into the seat across from her.
Maya: Alex, did you see what happened with LIV Golf? The Saudis just pulled out completely.
Alex: I know. They finally pulled the plug. Five billion dollars and they just walked away.
Maya: And what about all those golfers who left the PGA Tour to join LIV? They're completely left in the lurch now.
Alex: Exactly. LIV's been bleeding money for years — a hundred million a month, apparently. This was only a matter of time.
Maya: So what happens now? Is there anyone else who could step in as a sole backer?
Alex: Hard to imagine. Who has that kind of money and that kind of appetite for a league with no TV deal and no fans?
Maya: And those players who defected — do you think they'll come crawling back to the PGA Tour?
Alex: Some of them might have to. But the Tour is already saying there will be consequences. It won't be cheap.
🧠 Episode Quiz
Can you answer this?
LIV Golf gets its name from the Roman numeral for 54 — because tournaments are played over 54 holes, not the traditional 72. But which famous golfer was the very first big name to defect from the PGA Tour and join LIV Golf back in 2022?
- A — Tiger Woods
- B — Phil Mickelson
- C — Rory McIlroy
✅ Answer: B — Phil Mickelson was the first major star to publicly commit to LIV Golf in 2022. The backlash was enormous — he also made controversial comments about the Saudi backers at the time, which made the whole situation even messier. Tiger Woods never joined, and Rory McIlroy was one of LIV's most vocal critics throughout.
📚 Bonus Vocabulary
Defect (verb) — to leave an organization, country, or group and join a rival or opposing side. It carries a strong sense of disloyalty. Originally used in Cold War spy contexts — people "defected" from the Soviet Union to the West. In sports and business, it now describes anyone who abandons their original team or employer for a competitor. "Three senior engineers defected to the startup after the acquisition fell apart."
Reentry fee (noun phrase) — a charge paid to regain access to something you previously left or lost. In the LIV Golf context, players who broke their PGA Tour contracts face fees of up to ninety million dollars to return. The word "reentry" appears in aerospace too — a spacecraft reentering the atmosphere. Either way, getting back in costs something. "The reentry fee was steep, but rejoining the association was worth it for the network access."
Hemorrhage (verb) — to lose something rapidly and in dangerously large quantities. While "bleed money" is idiomatic and conversational, "hemorrhage" is more formal and even more extreme — a hemorrhage is a severe, life-threatening bleed. Used in business journalism when losses are catastrophic. "The company was hemorrhaging talent after the CEO resigned — three senior directors left in a single week."
