golf

LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil says league will 'probably' have to raise money

โ€ขYahoo Sports

LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil has made several media appearances in the past 24 hours after reports that the Saudi PIF might be done funding the tour.

LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil has made several media appearances in the past 24 hours after reports that the Saudi Public Investment Fund might be done pumping money into the circuit, and he's beginning to walk back some of his previous claims about the financial security of the league moving forward. O'Neil reportedly told "various people" at the Masters last week that the league was fully funded through 2032, according to Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard . But during an interview with TNT Sports โ€” which has already been scrubbed from the outlet's X account and YouTube channel โ€” Oliver Wilson asked O'Neil about future funding, and his answer was a far cry from what he's previously said.

"Sergio [Garcia] came out yesterday and alluded to the fact that they'd been told that funding was in place until 2030, can you speak to that? " Wilson asked. โ€œYeah, of course, it's just not the way the world works,โ€ Oโ€™Neil replied.

โ€œThe reality is that youโ€™re funded through the season, and then you work like crazy as a business to create a business and a business plan to keep us going. But thatโ€™s not different from any other private equity-funded business in the history of mankind. โ€ OPINION: Proving even Saudis have a spending limit, LIV Golf runs out of time, cash and luck Without mentioning funding specifically, O'Neil sent a memorandum to LIV Golf employees on Wednesday that said its 2026 season "continues exactly as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.

" A report from Reuters on Thursday cited multiple sources that LIV was funded through the end of this season, but beyond that, major questions remained. Up until his interview with Wilson on TNT Sports, O'Neil had not confirmed that to be the case. O'Neil says LIV Golf will 'probably' have to raise money In a different interview during Thursday's first round broadcast of LIV Golf Mexico City, O'Neil spoke with LIV Golf commentator Arlo White for nearly seven minutes about the future of the league.