Tessa Lee, Sports journalist reporting on global leagues since 2021.
Scott O’Neil said “I’m going to bet on the 8 billion” during an interview with Yahoo Sports on Thursday at Club 54 during LIV Golf’s latest event. The LIV Golf chief executive outlined how the league plans to pursue growth outside the United States after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund confirmed it would end funding after this season. His comments matter because they arrive at a crucial moment for the league as it searches for investors, defines its place in professional golf, and plans its next stage of development.
O’Neil joined LIV Golf last year and now faces one of the most important periods in the league’s short history. The decision by the Public Investment Fund has increased scrutiny over LIV’s business model and long term sustainability. In response, O’Neil has spent recent weeks meeting potential investors and mapping out a strategy that he believes can create a durable global sports property.
He framed LIV’s future around a central belief that golf remains underdeveloped outside a small group of traditional markets. O’Neil noted that most of the world’s biggest golf events remain concentrated in the United States, with one of the major historic exceptions in the United Kingdom. He argued that the pandemic period showed golf has significant room for international growth and that many markets remain underserved.
Global markets at the center of strategy
O’Neil said the league sees its biggest long term opportunity beyond the United States. While he acknowledged the importance of the American market because of its television audience, sponsorship scale, and consumer spending power, he repeatedly emphasized the larger global population.
He pointed to Japan, Korea, China, India, Australia, South Africa, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and several European markets as places where LIV sees meaningful potential. According to O’Neil, these are countries where fans want to see major names such as Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Dustin Johnson in person.
His argument was simple. The United States remains critical, but global expansion offers a broader growth runway. That thinking has become central to LIV’s planning as it considers where future events and commercial partnerships can deliver the strongest return.
Team golf remains a defining pillar
O’Neil repeatedly returned to team golf as a major part of LIV’s identity. He described the format as a powerful tool for audience development and pointed to the Ryder Cup as proof that team based golf can generate large scale fan engagement.
He also said the team structure creates long term asset value. In his view, future investment will not depend only on tournament revenue but also on the value of franchise ownership. Drawing on his experience in the NBA, he highlighted how sports team valuations have risen dramatically over time.
That approach reflects a broader trend across global sport. Private capital and family offices have increasingly pursued ownership opportunities in football, motor racing, horse racing, and women’s sport. LIV believes golf teams could eventually attract similar interest.
Event attendance strengthens LIV’s case
O’Neil used attendance figures to support his claims of international momentum. He said LIV attracted 115,000 fans in Australia and 100,000 in South Africa, which he described as the largest golf event in that country’s history. He also cited crowds of 60,000 in the United Kingdom and 60,000 in Indianapolis last year.
He added that Mexico City delivered strong attendance and expressed confidence that Korea will also produce a strong turnout. For LIV, those numbers are important because they help demonstrate commercial demand beyond television ratings alone.
O’Neil said successful markets tend to share several characteristics. They often have government support, strong golf federations, established sponsor interest, healthy broadcast conditions, and a desire to build youth participation in the sport.
Relationship with the wider golf ecosystem
A major question surrounding LIV remains how it fits into the broader structure of professional golf. O’Neil said the league wants greater legitimacy and more opportunities for its players in leading championships.
He welcomed the fact that LIV players have gained access to The Open and noted that ten LIV players competed at Augusta this year. At the same time, he acknowledged that only three of the top fifteen players in the current LIV standings were in the Masters field.
O’Neil said decisions about qualification are not his to make. He added that LIV’s responsibility is to keep presenting its case and to show the value of a global schedule that asks players to compete across five continents.
A period of change across golf
O’Neil also spoke about his relationship with PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp. He said both sides are focused on their own businesses but agreed that golf is entering a period of major change.
He predicted that the next 18 to 24 months could bring some of the most significant structural shifts in the sport’s modern history. In his view, golf needs stronger alignment, a world schedule, and a clearer international framework.
He argued that internal conflict weakens the sport commercially. According to O’Neil, division hurts broadcasters, sponsors, players, and fans. He said golf should be competing against other global sports rather than against itself.
What LIV may look like next
O’Neil indicated that LIV two years from now will not look identical to the current version. He did not reveal specific details but said three principles will remain unchanged.
The first is players as partners. The second is team golf. The third is global focus.
Those priorities now form the foundation of LIV’s future planning. The immediate challenge will be converting those ideas into a stable financial structure after the end of Public Investment Fund backing.
For now, O’Neil believes the league’s best opportunity lies beyond traditional boundaries. His message was that global golf demand exists, and LIV intends to build around it.