Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
**Scott O’Neil believes that LIV Golf belongs on the world stage, not just the fairway. **
In a wide-ranging interview, the new chief executive described the tour as a global experience, comparing its ambition to Formula 1 rather than to the PGA Tour’s IndyCar roots.
O’Neil’s view reflects confidence inside LIV. The league, launched in 2022 and still working toward official world ranking points, now presents itself as a cultural movement built on entertainment and travel as much as golf.
While the [PGA Tour remains a successful…
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
**Scott O’Neil believes that LIV Golf belongs on the world stage, not just the fairway. **
In a wide-ranging interview, the new chief executive described the tour as a global experience, comparing its ambition to Formula 1 rather than to the PGA Tour’s IndyCar roots.
O’Neil’s view reflects confidence inside LIV. The league, launched in 2022 and still working toward official world ranking points, now presents itself as a cultural movement built on entertainment and travel as much as golf.
While the PGA Tour remains a successful, US-focused product, LIV wants to represent something different.
Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Scott O’Neil explains LIV Golf’s Formula 1 Vision
That idea of golf as a culture, not just competition, sits at the core of O’Neil’s early strategy. The new chief executive has more than two decades of experience in entertainment and sport.
“The PGA Tour is a US-focused tour, and they do an incredible job. I would say we’re a global tour,” O’Neil told BBC Sport.
“It’s very akin to Formula 1 and IndyCar. IndyCar is a wonder. I went to the Indianapolis 500, and it’s an incredible experience and event. Formula 1 is different, though. It is a cultural experience.
“You have fashion, art, music, and sport, and world-class hospitality. It’s in all the most important cities in the world, and I think that’s much more of who we are and what we’re about.”
LIV Golf’s shift to a 72-hole format, expected in 2026, also signals that the league is willing to adapt to traditional expectations while maintaining its showpiece feel.
O’Neil said the league’s evolution is about finding balance between sport and spectacle. “Whatever we have to do to get more people invested in this great game, we’ll do it,” he added.
Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
Scott O’Neil comments on finding common ground with the PGA Tour
O’Neil’s tone toward the PGA Tour is measured but open. “Yes, I think we will need to create more playing experiences and opportunities with the PGA Tour,” he explained.
“I think there’s a real opportunity, but I am focused on LIV Golf and taking the sport around the world.
“I think that we are all smart enough to figure out that we can also create bigger platforms to have some fun and grow this game together.”
That optimism suggests a potential thaw between the two sides that have defined golf’s division since 2022.
O’Neil then described LIV’s players as “happy, competitive and committed,” adding that growth would come from shared interests rather than rivalry.
“Are there opportunities to come together? Of course, and if there are prudent ones that make sense for LIV, we’ll do them.”