Scott O’Neil is a calm and talkative guy. That’s what the general managers of the LIV Golf teams say about him and he corroborates it in short distances. He has a really significant motto. “I look more at the windshield than the rearview mirror.” He receives MARCA in a tent next to the first tee at Valderrama, where the LIV Golf Andalucia begins on Friday. “The players don’t stop talking about this course,” he says. “And this is an important element.”
O’Neil joined this year to take charge of the circuit that was born in 2022. “He’s not from the world of golf and that’s a good thing,” says one of the team bosses. “Because he has a more global vision.” That broad view has been given to him by experience – he is 54 years old – and an overwhelming professional career. “I’ve been very fortunate. I worked for eight years in the NBA’s head office under commissioner David Stern and Adam Silver, so I was able to learn from the best. Then I ran the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA, the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils in the NHL. I was also an executive with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. And most recently, I ran a theme park business, which gave me global experience.”
The strongman of the Saudi-backed world golf league replaced the volatile Greg Norman. The ‘Great White Shark’ was the one who seduced several of the world’s stars to join LIV in 2022, but he also strained the sport with his outspoken criticism and created an unsustainable environment. With the Australian and many of the agents from other circuits gone, O’Neil’s approach heralds a new era in negotiations. “I want to be absolutely clear: if the goal is to find ways for the best players in the world to compete together more often, we are going to find a way to do that. And that represents a great opportunity for both LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.”
It is also a fertile time for the transgressive. The unstoppable passage of time is renewing the decision-making positions. “There are a lot of new faces: Trevor Immelmann at the helm of the world rankings, me at LIV, Brian Rollap at the PGA Tour; Derek Sprague at the PGA, Mark Darbin at the R&A… We are all thinking about how to reshape golf to optimise the opportunity. The sport is growing. The world needs more golf and the values it conveys: humility, resilience, consistency, hard work, patience…”.
O’Neil is a firm believer in the team project in golf. The critics, who put the PIF’s (Saudi Public Fund) investment in LIV at $5 billion over the three years the tour has been running, and a loss of more than $400 million in 2023, the last year presented, contrast with the CEO’s view that “in 2024 there was already one team that was profitable – surely referring to DeChambeau’s Crushers – and in three or four years most will be. And in five we will be a completely different organization.”
We are one of the few truly global sports organizations
He defends such a categorical statement from the increase that LIV has experienced, under the insistence that the project is still in its infancy. “Leagues are based first on competition. We have the right players. We have Jon, Sergio, Bryson, Brooks, Mickelson, Cam Smith and others; we have the right courses and an attractive format. Going out all at once and in teams is. Add to that, thanks to television, we are in 125 countries, with a potential audience of 900 million. Fox in the United States, ITV in Britain, Movistar in Spain… And this in only three years. The PGA Tour is 96 years old, the NBA more than 75 and the NHL or MLB more than 100.”
“Our sponsorship business continues to grow and attract global partners,” he continues. “We are one of the few truly global sports organizations. Also our marketing and branding strategy, with the message ‘Long Live Golf’. We have changed the narrative to be part of the golf ecosystem and have impact, like putting more golf clubs in the hands of children. I learned that in the NBA, that’s how the elite do it.”
O’Neil constantly talks about innovating – he asks the players themselves for ideas –, although he does not contemplate that the LIV calendar will go beyond 14 stages. “For now, we’ll stay there. We also have the International Series – a kind of lower category with cut tournaments that score for the Asian Tour. “But transforming golf and attracting new fans is key. We have music at events, concerts, art… Almost a third of our audience had never been to a golf event before. We are really growing the game.”
Among the ideas on the table are proposals such as expanding the teams, “although thanks to this formula now you can see all the great players all weekend”, and continue betting on the recruitment of young people. In the last 18 months, talents such as Jose Ballester, Tom McKibbin and David Puig have arrived. All of them hit the ball miles. Caleb Surratt is also a good talent. Luis Masaveu is incredible. In the next two or three years, attracting young talent should be part of the strategy. And it’s also interesting to know why they come. Jose learned from Sergio from a young age. What better mentor? McKibbin’s parents said the same about Jon Rahm. What better way to learn than to be with him all the time? Traveling the world, playing with music, in unique events… all this attracts young people. The PGA Tour is fantastic, but it is mainly in the US These players want to see the world and grow as people and professionals. It is a safe environment where they can train as men and golfers.”
The PGA Tour is fantastic, but it’s mainly in the US. These players want to see the world and grow as people and professionals
The leader brings out data that strengthens his speech, especially from Australia, the country that has turned the Adelaide stop into a party. “We just released a report that indicates we generated $84 million in economic impact with just a three-day event. It’s just incredible. In Australia, every kid who plays junior golf gets a Ripper cap. We’re starting to see the impact on junior golf – more kids are playing. People are starting to identify with some of these regional teams. In England, for example, we are educating 50,000 children through a program called Little Sticks, thanks to the Majestics.”
However, there is also slow progress. The world ranking does not accept LIV Golf because of its restrictive promotion and relegation policy and the fact that there is no cut in its tournaments. “Since Immelman took over as chairman, the conversations have been fantastic. Very intelligent, very open. Everyone in the industry understands that the ranking should reflect the best players in the world. Currently it doesn’t, but we’ll work it out. There’s been no talk of cut or no cut yet. There are a lot of new faces in the golf industry and I think we’re all focused on growing the sport,” he said
“Our project is solid,” he summarizes. “The sports business is not going away. There are few golf events with this quality. Maybe 500 or 600 people have written to me saying they’ve never seen anything like it. It’s top-notch hospitality. But we’re just getting started. Just with television distribution, sponsorships and premium sales we’ve seen big increases. And this is just the beginning. It’s coming like a train.”
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