LIV CEO says league has ‘great momentum’ but dodges key question

Scott O’Neil and other LIV Golf executives are well aware they have work to do. With the Saudi PIF pulling its funding beyond this season, LIV leaders need to secure outside investment for the breakaway golf league to exist in 2027.

O’Neil, the league’s CEO, has discussed LIV’s challenges and opportunities in the past, and his latest on-camera interview came Tuesday with Scott Wapner on CNBC’s “Halftime Report.” In the interview — you can watch the full one here, or a shorter, free version here —  O’Neil touched on the league’s future and its search for investors.

“I could tell you one thing is that I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else with any group of players, with any group of executives or any group of advisors in the world right now,” O’Neil told Wapner. “I think we have a very, very special opportunity to create tremendous value. Now, it’s going to be different. It will be certainly sustained; it will be disciplined and value accretive. I think what we’ve seen in terms of the increase of the value in sports teams over the last 30 years since I have been in this business is absolutely incredible. There’s a lot of disposable income knocking on the door, wanting to get into ownership of league and teams.”

O’Neil mentioned Formula 1 and MotoGP as examples, as well as the estimated values to the NBA’s potential expansion franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas.

“We are in the right space, we are out here at the right time,” he continued. “I got extraordinary star power like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Young. We are playing at incredible events, we got great business momentum. Look, I’m in market one week, and I can tell you it’s been a really, really warm welcome reception in the market. … We are pretty excited about where we are.”

Wapner then asked O’Neil if he could comment on a Front Office Sports report that LIV might not have enough money to finish the current season.

“Well I can say they have been terrific partners so far, and you have to take an incredible organization like PIF at their word,” he said. “They have been very public about funding us through the season, so we are full steam ahead.”

Asked if he could guarantee the remaining four LIV tournaments for 2026 will actually take place, O’Neil only said: “What I can guarantee is a heck of a return if you come invest in this business.”

LIV Golf, which played in Spain last week, is off for the rest of the month. Its next event is in the United Kingdom in July and has tournaments scheduled for New Jersey, Indianapolis and Michigan, the latter its team event, in August. The league has already postponed a New Orleans tournament scheduled for June to later this year, although a new date has not been set.

Since the announcement of the PIF pulling its funding, LIV Golf’s uncertain future has been a major talking point in the golf world. Bryson DeChambeau said he’s attended meetings and would try to help secure funding as much as he can, although other players have admitted that’s not so easy.

“I know nothing about business,” Jon Rahm said last week. “I’m never going to claim to know anything about business, and if I was in a business pitch, I would not know the first thing to say. My job is to play golf, and I’ll say it’s is hard enough as it is. But if any player who knows what they’re doing is willing to do certain things like that, I think it can only help.”