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Saudi Arabia will remain central to LIV Golf, CEO says as 2026 season starts
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LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said Saudi Arabia will remain central to the league’s future as it enters its most global season yet with 14 events across 10 countries.
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Riyadh is hosting the LIV season opener for a second consecutive year, and O’Neil left little doubt about its long-term role.
“We will be in Riyadh until the end of time. This is an emerging golf market,” he said speaking to Al Arabiya English on Wednesday during the LIV Golf season opener in the Saudi capital. “[Saudi Arabia] is more like my second home. I spent quite a bit of time here, and absolutely love it”
Reflecting on completing his first year as CEO, O’Neil described his experience as energizing and formative.
“It’s the most fun I’ve ever had,” he told Al Arabiya English, calling his move into golf “an opportunity of a lifetime.”
He pointed to the mix of tradition and star power at LIV, citing players such as Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson as part of what makes the tour distinctive.
Having previously led major franchises across the NBA, NFL and NHL, O’Neil said the shift from team management to running a global league brought new demands but familiar fundamentals.
“Running a sports league is very different from running a sports team,” he said. “But the fundamentals of the business are almost exactly the same, managing your brand, driving community impact and creating a world-class experience.”
LIV Golf ‘under the lights’
O’Neil highlighted LIV’s night golf format as a defining feature of the event, calling it “the only major tournament ever to be played under the lights,” alongside concerts, family zones and a festival-style atmosphere. While playing under floodlights can affect depth perception, O’Neil said elite players are well prepared.
“For the players, these are world-class athletes,” he said. “I think our players will be just fine.”
LIV Golf 2026 season
The 2026 season will be LIV’s most global to date, featuring 14 events across 10 countries and five continents.
Growing the game of golf is “what gets us out of bed in the morning,” O’Neil said. “It’s our mission.”
That growth includes changes to competition format, with LIV events expanding from 54 holes to 72. O’Neil framed the move as part of a broader willingness to experiment.
“We have the flexibility and freedom to go try and test new things,” he said.
Prize money has also increased, with individual purses staying at $20 million per event and team prize money doubling to $10 million. O’Neil said the model is designed to build sustainable team businesses, noting “significant inbound interest” from potential investors.
LIV Golf and OWGR
One of the most closely watched issues remains LIV Golf’s relationship with the Official World Golf Ranking. While OWGR recently agreed to award limited ranking points to LIV events, O’Neil described the structure as “unprecedented.”
“What a great vote of confidence for them to say, ‘Okay, we’ll give you points,’” he said. “On the other hand, it’s a bit unprecedented.”
He noted that while other no-cut events typically see only 15 percent of players receive no points, “in our case, it’s 82 percent of the field. So that didn’t feel great.”
Still, O’Neil said he hopes the decision marks progress.
“I’m hoping this is the first step of many,” he said, toward LIV players being more fully ranked and recognized.
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LIV Golf CEO says OWGR move ‘didn’t feel great’ but welcomes ranking points
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LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil told Al Arabiya English on Wednesday that the move by the Official World Golf Rankings to award points to LIV events was “a great vote of confidence,” but said the current points allocation was “unprecedented.”
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
On Tuesday, the OWGR announced it would award world ranking points to LIV Golf events for the 2026 season, which teed off in Riyadh on Wednesday. Under the decision, ranking points will be awarded to the top-10 finishers and ties in LIV Golf events.
While welcoming the development, O’Neil said the structure of the allocation differs significantly from how other tours are treated.
“In every other event that they have across hundreds of tours that they sanction, if there are no cuts, only 15 percent of the field gets no points,” O’Neil told Al Arabiya English ahead of the season’s opening tee. “In our case, it’s 82 percent of the field. So that didn’t feel great.”
O’Neil added that he hopes the decision marks the “first step of many” toward LIV Golf players being more fully ranked and recognized within the global system.
LIV Golf Riyadh 2026 runs from Wednesday to Saturday at the Riyadh Golf Club.
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