Scott O’Neil had the opportunity to clear up doubts and did not do so. Quite the opposite. The CEO of LIV Golf sat down with journalist Josh Carpenter and had an interesting conversation published in SJB this Monday. One of the central topics of the discussion, of which a preview has already appeared, is the future of Brooks Koepka.
There is a growing rumour suggesting that the five-time Major champion will not play in LIV Golf even in the 2026 season, despite still being under contract. Koepka, like Bryson DeChambeau, concludes his contract with the Saudi league at the end of the 2026 season. Regarding DeChambeau, reports in the United States suggest that he is already negotiating the extension of his contract, while with Koepka, they indicate that everything is on hold.
O’Neil could have used the interview to quell speculation and guarantee Koepka’s continuity; however, what he did was dodge the issue and give a long-winded response. In short, adding more uncertainty. “I know it’s not what you want to hear, but regarding individual players — and this goes back to our policy — we handle it following the process. So we haven’t made announcements about players, but he has a signed contract for 2026,” he noted. It remains to be seen how that contract will be resolved if he ultimately decides to leave.
Let’s remember that Koepka has his place secured in the Majors and could play in the DP World Tour due to his victory in the PGA Championship 2023. As for the PGA Tour, in theory, he should face a one-year suspension until his possible return, at least that’s what has been done so far, but given who he is, no one rules out that a different deal could be made. By the way, a few days ago, Dustin Johnson did officially announce his contract renewal with LIV Golf.
The CEO of LIV addressed other matters. Perhaps his most interesting response was regarding the relationship with the PGA Tour. O’Neil sees a non-aggression scenario. In his view, the place for the American circuit is the United States, while LIV could occupy the rest of the global market. “I feel like there will be a new world order, so to speak. It seems that the dominant player in the US will be the PGA Tour and the dominant player in the rest of the world will be LIV Golf, and how those leagues and circuits coincide, work together, create content and connect, I think will emerge over time. But we are happy with our progress, certainly.” That is, do not expect an agreement soon, but it is possible that over time they will divide the pie in that way.
For that, obviously, LIV Golf must last a long time. It seems that the massive economic losses presented by the league in 2024 are not a problem for now. “We are doing what I hope most companies do with a four-year-old company. First: evaluate the strategy, where are we going? Why are we going and where are we going? The mission is very clear: to bring some of the best players to the world and grow golf. So, once you have a mission, your paths become quite clear. Then you set the strategy: how are we going to get there? What does it really look like? We have that perfectly defined internally. Then you build the structure and then you go for the people who fit into that structure and we are somewhere in the middle of that process.” That is, LIV is halfway there. According to his words, there is a long way to go, as long as, of course, they improve their numbers in the coming years.
LIV Golf is also optimistic about the inclusion of the Saudi league in the world rankings. It considers that the step taken regarding the format, expanding tournaments from 54 to 72 holes, should help. One of the reasons it was done is precisely the world ranking and the other is to ensure LIV players are better prepared for the Majors. In some way, it is admitting that the great revolution of LIV Golf, playing over three days, has been a failure.
“The biggest showcase in the world is the majors and we must do everything possible to prepare [LIV players] in the best way for them,” said O’Neil. “And the feeling is: we are going to replicate the format and that makes perfect sense to me.”
O’Neil also said he believed the change would help with the league’s application to obtain World Ranking points. LIV submitted a new application at the beginning of 2025 and O’Neil stated that there has been “quite a bit of exchange” between him and the OWGR chairman, Trevor Immelman. O’Neil believes there is a “chance, albeit a slim one” that LIV will receive points before the start of its 2026 season, but “there is much to be done on both sides.” Does this mean we will see LIV Golf introduce a cut in its tournaments or expand the number of players entering or leaving the league each year? It’s a possibility…
