LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil announced an agreement Wednesday with a lead investor that would allow the rival league to forge ahead without the backing of Saudi funding while making players major equity holders. O’Neil did not identify the investor, only that it has signed an agreement that was approved by LIV’s board and signals “the path forward for the League’s next era, driven by and for the players.” O’Neil said LIV is getting “strong interest” from more than a dozen other parties who would be minority investors as the league tries to survive. They spoke on the eve of LIV Golf New York at Trump Bedminster, the penultimate individual tournament. LIV is to play in Indianapolis on Aug. 20-23. The season-ending team championship in Michigan has been in doubt for several weeks, mainly because the course has not even begun setting up for a tournament scheduled to start in three weeks. LIV Golf, which launched in 2022 with the financial backing of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, paid nine-figure bonuses to lure top players like Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm away from the PGA Tour, offering $20 million prize funds. But it all began to fall apart earlier this year when PIF said it would no longer fund LIV Golf after the 2026 season. One event in New Orleans already was scrapped. O’Neil met with team captains on Tuesday, and DeChambeau led a player-only meeting later in the afternoon, though none of the players shared details. O’Neil said he expected to finalize terms with the lead investor in the next few weeks with the goal of getting it done in September. The plan for what is being referred to as “LIV Golf 2.0” is for 10 team events each year, five of them in the United States and five others around the world. It also wants to stage events leading into the majors and having a schedule that allows its player to compete on other circuits. Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton already play on the European tour. The PGA Tour still has a one-year ban on anyone competing on LIV. ___ Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
