LIV Golf CEO refuses to guarantee circuit's remaining events will go on as scheduled with awkward sales pitch
LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil had an opportunity to address the biggest question about the league's immediate future as rumors continue to build uncertainty, but instead delivered a response straight out of the most basic of corporate playbooks.
Despite the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) announcing that it would cut off all funding to the breakaway circuit after the 2026 season wraps up, the plan and expectation have been to complete the campaign as scheduled.
Despite there only being four events left on LIV's calendar for the year, a recent report from Front Office Sports has added speculation of those four events going off unscathed.
A high-ranking executive from a major partner of LIV Golf told the outlet that "every remaining tournament is on the fence" before claiming that LIV "doesn’t know if or when the PIF will shut off the spigot."
LIV GOLF COULD REPORTEDLY RUN OUT OF MONEY BEFORE WRAPPING UP 2026 SEASON AFTER SAUDIS PULL FUNDING
On Tuesday, two days after the report claiming LIV's remaining events could be in jeopardy, O'Neil joined CNBC and was asked if he could guarantee that the league would complete its season as scheduled.
"I can say that they've been terrific partners so far," O'Neil began, referring to the Saudis funding LIV Golf. "You have to take an incredible organization like PIF at their word, and they've been very public about funding us through the season. We are full steam ahead, the players are locked in, the management team is locked in."
With O'Neil's answer having nothing to do with the question he was asked about guaranteeing that the remaining four events would go on as planned, he was asked again, only to avoid it once more.
"What I can guarantee is that there is a heck of a return if you come and invest in this business," O'Neil concluded.
Speculation about LIV's future — both the immediate and beyond 2026 — is unlikely to slow down anytime soon.
Not only will O'Neil's sidestepping of questions fuel the fire, but the circuit's next event on the calendar is not scheduled until July 23-26 in the United Kingdom, leaving ample time for reports and rumors to drum up even more uncertainty.
The PIF reportedly injected north of $1 billion into LIV Golf in 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025. The $266 million injection to begin the new year, an increase in prize funds for the season, and the net spend of $100 million per month, the Saudi PIF's cumulative investment was set to reach $6 billion by the end of 2026.
Despite the Saudi PIF being valued at more than $1 trillion, a return on its investment never came to fruition, and less than four years after its inaugural event was held in London, the Saudis formally cut off their never-ending flow of cash to the breakaway golf league.