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LIV paid O'Neil a $6.4 million bonus 76 days before filing for bankruptcy
LIV Golf's court filing shows $15.6 million in retention payments to its executives, while four of its suppliers are owed more than $4 million between them.
LIV Golf paid its chief executive, Scott O’Neil, a retention bonus of $6,375,000 on 24 June, 76 days before the league filed for Chapter 11 protection on 8 September. The payment is listed in LIV’s statement of financial affairs, filed on Thursday in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, ESPN reports. O’Neil was also paid a bonus of about $2.7 million on 13 February, and between 12 September 2025 and 28 August 2026 he received more than $13.6 million in pay, bonuses, benefits, retention payments and expenses.
Retention payments to the league’s top executives came to about $15.6 million. The chief financial officer, David Phillips, received more than $3.3 million and the chief legal officer, John Ruzich, about $2.6 million. Two independent directors, Eugene Davis and Jon Zinman, are paid $150,000 a month each, Golf Digest reports.
His predecessor, Greg Norman, left in September 2025 with more than $9.4 million: a settlement of about $5.8 million and a $3.6 million bonus.
Fresh Tape Media is owed $1.23 million for a preseason media event, Mobii Systems more than $1.1 million for LIV’s “Any Shot, Any Time” streaming feature, Fantasy Interactive $992,870.75 for the app and website, and Deltatre nearly $860,000, according to Golf Digest.
O’Neil’s June bonus is bigger than the sum LIV owes any of its players except Jon Rahm, who was owed $7.5 million when the league filed and has since given up the claim under his separation agreement. Bryson DeChambeau is owed $5.7 million, Dustin Johnson $5.5 million, Cameron Smith $4.8 million and Tyrrell Hatton, who said on Friday that he is leaving, $3.4 million.
The filings also show that Cameron Young signed a letter of intent to join LIV after finishing second to Smith at the 2022 Open at St Andrews. After the Tour Championship that year, Young said: “Frankly, I have decided to stay.”
LIV listed assets of $100 million to $500 million against liabilities of $500 million to $1 billion. Under the rescue plan Judge Michael B. Kaplan approved, BC Partners Credit could lend up to $300 million to LIV 2.0, starting with $4 million to keep the league running. The deadline for players to sign up is Sunday 25 October.
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