LIV Golf CEO, Scott O’Neil has addressed the issue surrounding unpaid vendors and contractors ahead of the league’s final event of the 2026 season in Indianapolis.
With uncertainty surrounding the future of the league, LIV opted to cut its 2026 campaign short on Monday by cancelling next week’s Team Championship in Michigan.
The cancellation, which had been expected for weeks, is one of a number of concerns that has loomed over the league in the months that have followedthe loss of the support of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF).
It was expected that PIF would continue to fund the league throughout the season before turning off the tap for 2027, but cancelled events, reduced purses and reported unpaid vendors has raised a number of question marks.
In regard to the latter, a report fromFront Office Sports this week claimed that LIV is being sued for $1.23 million in unpaid invoices and interest by Fresh Tape Media, who were in charge of producing the league’s preseason media days in January.
Fresh Tape Media founder, Jared Kleinstein addressed the report on social media, tweeting on Tuesday: “We worked with a lot of great people at @livgolf_league and are proud of what our team produced.
“This isn’t about the work or the people we collaborated with. It’s pretty simple: when a small business does the work, it deserves to be paid for it.”
This was put to O’Neil who addressed reporters on Wednesday at Chatham Hills, with the man in charge responding: “Look, I come from a family of entrepreneurs, a family of small business entrepreneurs and know the challenge that that is.
“So what I would say to them is we’re doing everything we can to make sure we can do right by them and the work they committed, and I hope we can.
“For the next generation, it will certainly be a different business with a different process.”
Another former LIV vendor – Mobii Systems Group Limited – who supplied the league’s ‘Any Shot, Any Time’ live stream addition sued the circuit last month over a break of contract after the feature was pulled from event coverage.
Away from lawsuits, O’Neil is also leading the league’s charge in securing new investment, having revealed at LIV Bedminster this month that a term sheet with an unnamed investor – thought to be BC Partners – had been signed.
A meeting between LIV execs, the investor and players took place on site on Tuesday. “It was everything I hoped it would be,” O’Neil said of the discussion.
“You have a visionary, charismatic, driven, well-connected leader, investor, businessman who answered questions with grace, shared his vision, and I think was able to convey a lot of the things that players and GMs and my colleagues wanted to hear. It was a fantastic meeting.”
As for the potential of bankruptcy, he added: “I don’t think we would rule out any option. I mean, the whole focus is on transaction, transaction, transaction.
“We’re spending all our time thinking about how we best land this plane and have it landed so we can take off again. All our focus is in that direction.”
