LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil skirts question about upcoming events as tour’s future in flux
· Yahoo Sports
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil told Scott Wapner on CNBC’s “Halftime Report” that the circuit is three years from profitability if he is able to secure new investment when Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund withdraws its funding at the end of this year.
O’Neil said on Tuesday he is meeting with potential investors in an attempt to secure a potential $350 million investment that would allow him to reimagine the league and continue past 2026.
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“The response has been positive. What's been really interesting, how do you slice this? How do you cut it? You know, is there one partner that comes in, maybe a big private equity firm, at the full $300 [million], or do you have 10 or 12 investors at $50 and $25 million units. And there seems to be an expression of interest on the family office side in the $50 million dollar range and the private equity firms are looking at a one take all,” O’Neil said.
O’Neil was asked specifically about Bryson DeChambeau’s ongoing negotiations for a new deal with LIV Golf after this season, “Bryson was involved in the design of the business plan. And so, yes, he's engaged, he's committed,” O’Neil said. He was also asked about Jon Rahm’s status with multiple years remaining on his current deal.
“I spoke to [Rahm] through text quite a few times. We were back and forth again this morning. This is different, and I know it's hard for others in the golf industry to understand, but this is a group that is committed to their teams. They're committed to the league, and they're committed to this program,” O’Neil said.
LIV Golf played last week in Spain and its next event is scheduled to be played July 23-26 in England, leading Wapner to ask, “Can you guarantee today that the four remaining tournaments on your schedule will actually take place?”
“What I can guarantee is a heck of a return if you come invest in this business,” O’Neil said.
When asked what would happen if the PIF pulled its funding before the end of the year, O’Neil added, “You have to take an incredible organization like PIF at their word.”
O’Neil was asked how LIV Golf would look different if he’s able to replace PIF’s funding, which is projected to surpass $6 billion since the league launched in 2022.
“The question is, will the business be different than it was over the last five years? I can say dramatically. This will be a very disciplined approach,” he said. “We're cutting the expense side dramatically, and the revenue momentum that we’ve had, you know first year in ’25 we doubled revenue, we’re already up $100 million over last year in ‘26. We have really good business momentum.
“This is about getting the costs under control, reimagining what the business could, should and will look like, and then engaging our players as partners, like true equity partners in this business.”