LIV Golf is here to stay, says new CEO Scott O’Neil
LIV Golf’s new CEO Scott O’Neil insists it will be a “full and participating member” of the professional game’s new landscape when a planned merger with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour is finally completed.
Experienced sport and entertainment executive O’Neil’s appointment as the successor to Greg Norman appears to underline LIV Golf’s ambition to strengthen its position at the top table of the sport on the eve of its fourth season.
And the former CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, owned by Crystal Palace shareholders Josh Harris and David Blitzer, has been quick to dispel suggestions the merger could lead to the end of LIV Golf.
“What you will find is very much a partnership approach,” O’Neil told The Times. “We at LIV plan on being a full and participating member in the golf ecosystem and it’s very important to be part of the family.”
Rory McIlroy, one of LIV Golf’s staunchest early critics of the Saudi-backed tour but who has since softened his stance, said O’Neil’s appointment suggested it was here to stay.
“I honestly don’t know what the future holds for them, but the moves that they’re making, especially from an executive standpoint, it doesn’t look like they’re going to go away anytime soon,” McIlroy said.
O’Neil was most recently CEO of Merlin Entertainments, the operator of Legoland resorts and theme parks such as Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures, and has also been CEO of the NBA team the Philadelphia 76ers.
The American is also targeting a better relationship with the four men’s majors to address one of the biggest gripes of some LIV Golf stars: their difficulty in obtaining entry to those events as the tour is not recognised by the world ranking system.
“I think our time with the world rankings has passed. On behalf of golf and fans around the world, you want to see the best players on the biggest stages,” he added.
“There are several paths to go down, and from conversations with the majors we are hoping the situation continues to evolve in our favour and we are very confident it will.”
LIV Golf chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of its main backer, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, praised O’Neil’s credentials for leading the tour in its next stage of development
“On behalf of the board of directors, we welcome Scott O’Neil to the LIV Golf family, knowing he will capitalize on everything that has been accomplished over the past three years,” said Al-Rumayyan.
“Scott has the passion, the tenacity, and the vision to continue leveraging LIV Golf’s position as a pre-eminent, global sports and entertainment company and to lead our amazing teams and players for years to come.”
LIV Golf’s 2025 season tees off in Riyadh on 6 February, the first of 14 tournaments in seven months that concludes with the Team Championship in Michigan in August.