The CEO of LIV Golf avoids the main question about the upcoming events of the league

Scott O’Neil and other LIV Golf executives are aware they have work to do. With the Saudi PIF pulling its funding beyond this season, LIV leaders must secure outside investment for the breakaway golf league to exist in 2027.

O’Neil, the league’s CEO, has discussed the challenges and opportunities of LIV in the pastand his final on-camera interview came Tuesday with Scott Wapner on CNBC’s “First Half Report.” In the interview – you can watch in full hereor a shorter version, free here — O’Neil touched on the future of the league and its search for investors.

“I can tell you one thing is I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else with any group of players, any group of executives or any group of advisors in the world right now,” O’Neil told Wapner. “I think we have a very, very special opportunity to create tremendous value. Now, it’s going to be different. It’s certainly going to be sustainable; it’s going to be disciplined and it’s going to increase value. I think what we’ve seen in terms of the increase in value in sports teams over the last 30 years that I’ve been in this business is absolutely incredible. There’s a lot of revenue in not owning the league. and the teams.”

O’Neil cited Formula 1 and MotoGP as examples, as well as the estimated values ​​of potential NBA expansion franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas.

“We’re in the right space, we’re here at the right time,” he continued. “I’ve got tremendous star power like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Young. We’re playing tremendous events, we’ve gotten a lot of business momentum. Look, I’ve been in the market a week and I can tell you it’s been a really, really warm reception in the market. … We’re very excited about where we’re at.”

Wapner then asked O’Neil if he could comment on one Front Office Sports Report that LIV may not have enough money to complete the current season.

“Well, I can say they’ve been great partners so far, and you have to take an incredible organization like PIF at their word,” he said. “They’ve been very public about our funding during the season, so we’re full steam ahead.”

Asked if he could guarantee that the four remaining LIV tournaments for 2026 would actually take place, O’Neil said only: “What I can guarantee is a good profit if you come and invest in this business.”

LIV Golf, which played in Spain last week, is out for the rest of the month. His next event is in the UK in July and he has tours planned in New Jersey, Indianapolis and Michigan, the latter in his team event, in August. The league has already postponed a tournament in New Orleans scheduled for June to later this year, although a new date has not been set.

Since the announcement of PIF’s withdrawal of funds, the uncertain future of LIV Golf has been a major talking point in the golfing world. Bryson DeChambeau said he has attended meetings and will try to help secure the funds as much as he can, although other players have acknowledged it is not that easy.

“I don’t know anything about the business,” Jon Rahm said last week. “I’m never going to pretend I know anything about business, and if I was in a business field, I wouldn’t know the first thing to say. My job is to play golf, and I’ll say it’s hard enough as it is. But if any player who knows what they’re doing is willing to do some things like that, I think it can only help.”