LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil stated that the league is making every effort to pay vendors who are suing over alleged missed payments. This comes as the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF)-backed golf league faces an uncertain future, with its final event of the 2026 season taking place in Indianapolis.
Fresh Tape Media, a company that produced LIV Golf's preseason media days, is reportedly suing the league for $1.2 million in unpaid dues and interest. Jared Kleinstein, founder of Fresh Tape Media, publicly criticized LIV Golf on social media, stating, "When a small business does the work, it deserves to be paid for it."
O'Neil, when asked about the lawsuit, acknowledged the challenges faced by small businesses and said, "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, "For the next generation, it will certainly be a different business with a different process."
These statements come at a critical juncture for LIV Golf. In April, the PIF announced it would cease funding the league beyond the 2026 season. Since then, LIV has canceled its LIV Team Championship in Michigan, moved its season finale to Indianapolis, and reduced the individual prize purse for the event from $20 million to $10.1 million.
Earlier in August, O'Neil announced that an unnamed investor had been secured to help fund LIV Golf into 2027. Specific details about this investor have not yet been disclosed. The league has outlined a plan for 'LIV 2.0,' which would involve players holding a majority of equity, 10 total tournaments, with five in the United States and five internationally.