LIV CEO: League's value rests in teams, optimistic on funding

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil expressed optimism on Tuesday in his first public comments since Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) confirmed it will withdraw financial support after the 2026 season.

O’Neil pointed to the league’s 13-team structure as a key driver for future investment opportunities following the announcement.

“If you ask me where the value of this business is, it’s in the teams,” O’Neil said during his pre-tournament press conference ahead of this week’s LIV Golf Virginia event in Washington, D.C.

He added that team value would be central to the league’s long-term growth strategy.

“We believe that teams will have extraordinary value,” O’Neil said. “Once we set the business in the right direction with the right trajectory, the right revenue base and cost base—which we’re well on our way to doing—these teams will have extraordinary value. And that’s where investors are going to see their value.”

His remarks came one day after LIV Golf announced that New York-based Ducera Partners LLC will serve as an investment banking advisor as the league seeks financial stability moving forward.

O’Neil also addressed efforts to strengthen sponsorships, ticket sales, and television rights as part of a broader plan to improve funding.

“The way the process will typically work is that we’re going to create a business plan, we’re going to lock arms with the players, we will go to market and raise money at a top level, and then we will get investors into teams in that order,” he said. “The players on the team should be locked in.”

He also commented on whether PIF would honor existing commitments beyond 2026.

“I mean, they own the majority of the business now, and they’ve agreed to fund through the season, as they said. Nothing there has changed,” O’Neil said.

O’Neil later said he is confident in the league’s long-term appeal to players.

“I have confidence that this is a place players want to be,” he said.

Asked about golfers potentially pursuing other opportunities, O’Neil emphasized LIV Golf’s structure and schedule.

“One of the beauties of LIV Golf is that we are for golf. We always have been and we always will be,” he said. “Our players commit to 14 weeks. They know exactly when they’re expected to play, they show up, and they play.”

He added that players still have significant availability outside the LIV schedule.

“If another tour is open for them to play, that’s 14 weeks out of 52. That’s 38 weeks,” O’Neil said. “If you want to see the best players in the world playing together more often, we can do it in those other 38 weeks.”

O’Neil described LIV Golf’s global schedule as a benefit to the sport.

“I feel like the opportunity we’ve been given at LIV Golf is that we have players who travel the world, and that is a gift to the game,” he said.

Founded in 2021, LIV Golf debuted in 2022 and attracted top players such as Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau through lucrative guaranteed contracts. Former LIV player Brooks Koepka has since returned to the PGA Tour, while Patrick Reed is expected to return later this season.

PIF has invested more than $5 billion into LIV Golf, though the league has reportedly incurred significant annual losses. Earlier this month, PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan indicated a shift toward prioritizing domestic investments over international spending.

O’Neil took over as LIV Golf CEO in January 2025, replacing Greg Norman. -Field Level Media/Reuters