LIV Golf paid CEO Scott O'Neil a $6.375 million retention bonus less than three months before bankruptcy

LIV Golf paid CEO Scott O'Neil a $6.375 million retention bonus on June 24, less than three months before the league filed for Chapter 11, according to court records filed Thursday.

The statement of financial affairs, filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey, also shows O'Neil got a bonus of about $2.7 million on Feb. 13. From Sept. 12, 2025, through Aug. 28, 2026, he received more than $13.6 million in payroll, bonuses, benefits, retention payments and expense reimbursements, ESPN reported.

He was not the only one. The filings show LIV paid about $15.6 million in retention money to top executives. Chief financial officer David Phillips got more than $3.3 million, and chief legal officer John Ruzich about $2.6 million. Greg Norman, O'Neil's predecessor, was paid more than $9.4 million when he left in September 2025: a settlement of about $5.8 million plus a $3.6 million bonus.

LIV and its related entities filed for Chapter 11 on Sept. 8, listing $100 million to $500 million in assets and $500 million to $1 billion in liabilities. The people running it got paid to stay right up until it went under.

The league is trying to come back as LIV 2.0. Judge Michael B. Kaplan allowed a restructuring plan with BC Partners that could provide up to $300 million in financing, starting with a $4 million loan to keep operations going during the case. A LIV attorney told Kaplan last week the league should know by the end of the month whether it moves forward or winds down.

The roster for that second version keeps shrinking. ESPN reported Friday that Ian Poulter and Tyrrell Hatton won't be part of LIV 2.0, and Jon Rahm reached a separation deal earlier this month, giving up the rest of his nine-figure contract.