LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil remained reserved about the near future of LIV Golf as its 2026 season nears its conclusion, sidestepping a question from CNBC about reports that have said the league’s loss of funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund may force it to cut the season short.
Key Takeaways
- When asked if he could guarantee LIV Golf’s four remaining tournaments will take place despite the loss of funding, O’Neil told CNBC, “What I can guarantee is a heck of a return if you come invest in this business.”
- Though O’Neil could not confirm an uninterrupted end to the 2026 season, the CEO said the Public Investment Fund has “been very public about funding us through the season, so we are full steam ahead,” noting, “you have to take an incredible organization like PIF at their word.”
- O’Neil said LIV Golf needs to be “disciplined and very, very value-creative” to sustain itself, telling CNBC he will continue speaking to potential investors this week and hopes to conclude fundraising during the summer.
- An unnamed official with one of LIV Golf’s major partners recently told Front Office Sports that “every remaining tournament is on the fence” and “LIV Golf doesn’t know if or when the PIF will shut off the spigot.”
Big Number
$3 billion. That is how much LIV Golf has paid out to its players since it hosted its first tournament four years ago, according to Forbes estimates. The league has specifically dished $1.36 billion in prize money and championship bonuses and at least $1.6 billion in guarantees and signing bonuses that helped it bring top-tier talent including Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka.
Key Background
Reports about LIV Golf’s funding crisis materialized in April, when The Wall Street Journal reported funds from the Public Investment Fund would cease after the 2026 season’s end, with unnamed sources telling the outlet LIV Golf is no longer aligned with the fund’s investment strategy. The Saudi fund is estimated to have sunk $5 billion into LIV Golf since its creation shook up the professional golfing world in 2022, when the league managed to poach some of the PGA Tour’s best talent through lucrative deals. In April, LIV Golf postponed its New Orleans event slated for June, citing a desire to avoid the summer heat and crowded sports calendar as reports about the Saudi fund’s restructuring rolled out. Of the four remaining events on LIV Golf’s calendar, its New York tournament scheduled for early August seems the most likely to be played, according to Front Office Sports, while the status around the upcoming competitions in the U.K., Indianapolis and Michigan are reportedly unclear.
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