LIV Golf paid $US15.6 million in retention payments to executives before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to court documents.
The largest payment went to CEO Scott O’Neil, who received a $6.375 million retention bonus on June 24, less than three months before the league’s bankruptcy filing. Just months before O’Neil had received a bonus of about $2.7 million in February. From September 12, 2025, to August 28, 2026, he was paid more than $13.6 million in payroll, bonuses, benefits, retention payments and expense reimbursements, according to the records.
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O’Neil was far from the only beneficiary. Chief financial officer David Phillips was paid more than $3.3 million, and chief legal officer John Ruzich received about $2.6 million. Greg Norman, O’Neil’s predecessor and LIV’s founding commissioner, was paid more than $9.4 million when he left the league in September 2025. The records show Norman received a settlement of about $5.8 million and a $3.6 million bonus. Independent directors Eugene Davis and Jon Zinman – who were brought into LIV after Saudi Arabia backed out of its soft-power exercise with the league – were each paid $150,000 per month.
The payments are noteworthy as LIV was failing to pay contractors and vendors for their work this year, which has led to several lawsuits. Fresh Tape Media, which produced LIV’s preseason media event in January, is seeking $1.23 million. Mobii Systems, which supplied the league’s “Any Shot, Any Time” streaming feature, claims it is owed more than $1.1 million. Deltatre, a sports-technology company, says it is owed nearly $860,000, and Fantasy Interactive, which built and maintained LIV’s app and website, has filed $992,870.75 in unpaid invoices.
In August, O’Neil said the league was “doing everything we can to make sure we can do right by them.” LIV also laid off the majority of its staff in September.
LIV listed between $100 million and $500 million in assets and between $500 million and $1 billion in liabilities when it filed for bankruptcy. Players were among its largest unsecured creditors, including Jon Rahm ($7.5 million in past-due payments), Bryson DeChambeau ($5.7 million), Dustin Johnson ($5.5 million), Cameron Smith ($4.8 million) and Tyrrell Hatton ($3.4 million).
Interestingly, this week’s filings also revealed that American star Cameron Young signed an intent to play for LIV following the 2022 Open Championship at St Andrews, where he finished second to Smith. After the 2022 Tour Championship, Young told reporters he had considered LIV but was staying with the PGA Tour because he wanted to play in team events and major championships.
“Frankly, I have decided to stay,” Young said at the time. Queenslander Smith joined LIV shortly after.
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The filings came as another group of players said Friday they will not continue with LIV. Hatton, a four-time Ryder Cupper and one of LIV’s top performers in the majors in recent seasons, is leaving, as are Tom McKibbin, Lucas Herbert and Ian Poulter. Rahm reached a separation agreement with LIV last week, giving up the remainder of his contract. Louis Oosthuizen, Charles Howell III, Thomas Pieters, David Puig, Abraham Ancer and Adrian Meronk have also indicated they won’t return.
The deadline for players to commit to LIV 2.0 is Oct. 25. Publicly, just four players have said they intend to continue: Richard Bland, Cameron Tringale, Brendan Steele and Ben Campbell.
Bryson DeChambeau had previously expressed interest throughout the year but has been quiet since LIV’s season prematurely ended. LIV’s restructuring plan with BC Partners could provide as much as $300 million in financing for the relaunched league, in which players would hold a majority ownership stake.
A LIV attorney told US Bankruptcy Judge Michael B. Kaplan that the league expects to know by the end of the month whether it will move forward with LIV 2.0 or wind down operations.
