LIV Golf CEO: Tour Doesn’t Need PGA Deal to Thrive
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil doesn’t see a reunification deal with the PGA Tour as essential for his organization’s success, though he remains open to an agreement that would benefit the sport.
“Do we have to do a deal? No. Is it nice to do a deal? So long as we’re all focused on the same thing, to grow the game of golf,” O’Neil said Wednesday at Trump National Doral, where LIV will play this weekend.
O’Neil, who’s been in his role for just three months, revealed he hasn’t been directly involved in the ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) – talks that have stretched for more than a year with varying degrees of progress.
The golf world has been fractured since LIV’s launch nearly three years ago. Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka – all LIV players – remain banned from PGA Tour events, meaning the world’s elite golfers only compete against each other at the four majors.
“I think we all hoped it would have been a little bit further along, and that’s no secret,” Koepka said about the negotiations. “But they’re making progress, and it seems to be going in the right direction.”
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has maintained his belief that a deal remains possible. “We believe there’s room to integrate important aspects of LIV Golf into the PGA Tour platform,” Monahan said last month. “We’re doing everything that we can to bring the two sides together.”
The two executives aren’t strangers. O’Neil has been invited to Augusta National for the Masters next week, suggesting some level of professional relationship exists despite the tour rivalry.
O’Neil expressed optimism about LIV’s trajectory during a session with reporters. He highlighted several positive developments:
- New sponsor deals finalized and awaiting announcement
- Expected ratings improvements as events move to North America after starting the season in Saudi Arabia, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore
- 30% of LIV fans have never attended a golf tournament before
- 40% of LIV’s audience is female
“We don’t know everything that’s going on, but from what we’ve heard, there’s a lot of positive growth and positive momentum from a sponsorship side,” DeChambeau confirmed.
The LIV event at Trump National Doral will likely feature an appearance by former President Donald Trump, possibly as early as Thursday. Trump has reportedly been involved in some of the reunification discussions between the tours.
O’Neil seems comfortable with LIV’s position regardless of whether a deal materializes. “We’re a global sport. We’re the Formula 1 of golf,” he said. “F1, I imagine, has more people watching in Asia-Pacific when they’re in Singapore than they do when they’re in Miami. I like where we are. I like it a lot.”
