LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil acknowledged reported issues with the league paying vendors and contractors, stating that the organization is "doing everything we can" to rectify the situation.
O'Neil's comments come as LIV Golf faces scrutiny over missed payments, with Fresh Tape Media founder Jared Kleinstein reportedly suing the league for outstanding debts related to LIV Golf's preseason media days. Kleinstein's company is among several vendors and contractors who have allegedly not been paid by the golf league.
"Look, I come from a family of entrepreneurs, a family of small business entrepreneurs and know the challenge that that is," O'Neil said when asked about the payment concerns. "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."
He added that for the future, "it will certainly be a different business with a different process."
O'Neil addressed the media ahead of LIV's final event of the 2026 season, a period marked by questions about the league's future, particularly following the Saudi Public Investment Fund's reported decision to withdraw financial support after this season. He used his press conference to call on "guardians and stewards" of golf to help end what he described as a "cold war" within the sport since LIV's inception.
"Golf doesn't need one tour to win and everyone else to lose," O'Neil stated, advocating for a collaborative approach with the phrase "complete, not compete."
Reports suggest that LIV's next iteration will reduce its schedule to approximately 10 events, down from the 14 initially planned for 2026, which was ultimately shortened to 12 due to postponements. This reduction could pose challenges for LIV players, who typically expect to compete in around 20 events per season.
The landscape remains complicated by the PGA Tour's continued refusal to allow LIV golfers to compete in its events. Furthermore, the DP World Tour has reportedly threatened to reinstate penalties for conflicting events, and the PGA Tour's new agreements with the Australian Open and Asian Tour could further impact LIV Golf.
"We’re not asking anyone to choose between LIV Golf and the rest of the game," O'Neil said. "We’re asking something much simpler: Can LIV add something valuable to golf? Think about it. Four years ago, people could reasonably debate it. But today I think the evidence is increasingly more clear."
LIV Golf announced earlier in August that it had secured investment to continue operations beyond the current season. However, details surrounding this investment have been scarce, and O'Neil offered limited information on Wednesday. He indicated that LIV was operating under a "compressed timeline" to finalize the funding deal, which he stated depends on the commitment of the current player roster to "LIV 2.0."
"The entirety of our focus is to get to this transaction and get through it," O'Neil said. "Without the players, that becomes very difficult. I have a good level of confidence in my conversation that we’ll have a critical mass of the right players to move this league forward."