Scott O’Neil, LIV Golf’s new CEO has a tough act to follow. The two-time major winner, Greg Norman had been synonymous with the success of the PIF-backed league and had seen it grow into prominence over the last three years. While Norman will still stay with the league in its fourth year in an undisclosed role, the spotlight is firmly on O’Neil. So far, the New York native has hit all the right notes when it comes to his plans for the future. From the long-awaited merger with Tour and how he plans to expand LIV’s presence around the globe, the former CEO of Merlin Entertainments has a clear vision of how to move forward with Norman’s legacy. He has already overseen the announcement of two TV deals and helped in LIV opening under the lights in Riyadh. Still, for an outsider and a non-golfing guy like O’Neil, there will be a learning curve as he goes along and he found things a little “awkward” in his first taste of the LIV experience.

Despite being new to the world of golf, O’Neil has extensive experience in the sports world, having led Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which oversees the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. He also served as the CEO of the 76ers and president of Madison Square Garden from 2008 to 2012. As such, it was no surprise to see him hit the ground running by helping set up LIV Golf’s first event under the lights for its season debut. While the event, which saw Adrian Meronk claim the individual victory, went smoothly, things were not that seamless for O’Neil behind the scenes personally.

He appeared on the Girl Dad Podcast on February 27 and talked about his first time experience with LIV. “It was really fun, very competitive, and an absolutely incredible stay. My first time so I was just going through all those first-time jitters where I didn’t know where to where to go or where to walk, it was terrible,” he mentioned.

“I actually got denied entrance into one of the VIP areas. It was really awkward because I had a bunch of guests with me. I have this badge, that is like a get-anywhere badge and she (the person at the door) kinda shook me off. I said, ‘Hey I don’t want to make this uncomfortable, but I have to run the league’ and she was like ‘Oh I know who you are,'” he recalled.

Luckily, his colleague stepped in to help smooth things over. “Jensen, who I work with came through and cleaned up, plowed the field and I got through,” he said, but that was not the end of his troubles as he got his leg pulled over the ordeal by those with him. That group of people harassed me for the next two days. They were like ‘Hey you’re probably hungry, should I have to get you something to eat?’ the entire time. There are sponsors too, it was a bit uncomfortable. That happens yeah, but I am following an icon, so you’re following like Greg Norman who everyone in the world knows who he is. Yeah, I had a few very humbling moments,” O’Neil said with a chuckle.

Well, a first day in the new office was always going to be tricky, but despite some hiccups, O’Neil was able to navigate the situation. As for filling the shoes of Norman, he was gone about business admirably and is already looking to stamp his authority.

Just a day after his appointment, it was announced that LIV Golf reached a multiyear broadcast agreement with Fox Sports. The deal will allow Fox Sports to show each of the three rounds of the events live in the U.S. on one of its network’s channels and streaming app starting this season.

This is a major move for LIV Golf as it has been largely broadcast on its own website and YouTube channel, as well as a little-known station The CW since its inception in 2022. The viewing figures, as a result, have largely been poor and this move will address this issue to a great extent.

O’Neil has also struck a deal with the UK’s ITV, signaling the return of live golf to free-to-air television in the UK. The network’s ITVX will serve as the primary platform for LIV Golf and will telecast live and full coverage of every round of every tournament. Selected live broadcasts will also be on ITV1 and ITV4. The weekly highlights show produced by LIV Golf will also be broadcast on ITV4. O’Neil is already brimming with confidence.

“I will tell you, and it’s been a short 40 days here, but in the 40 days I’ve seen a U.S. agreement with Fox, broadcast agreement. I’ve seen a UK agreement with ITV to get us over the air in the UK,” O’Neil continued. “It’s the only golf that’ll be over the air in the UK. I’ve seen our first pillar partnership with Madden. I’ve seen stars extended. I’ve seen a successful event in Riyadh. I’ve seen interest from all over the world. We’re now broadcast in 100 countries and territories, over 800 million households. So, I see momentum,” he said ahead of the league’s biggest event of the year, LIV Golf Adelaide.

These moves are aimed at broadening the global appeal of the Saudi-funded league.  But O’Neil isn’t stopping here, he has a clear vision of how to drive LIV Golf’s popularity and increase its market.

Things Scott O’Neil has on his list

Scott O’Neil has a tough road ahead as LIV Golf enters its fourth year. The league has struggled to connect with golf fans, with viewership on the CW Network so low that LIV stopped releasing those numbers. And that’s not all. It has also failed to garner too much attention. LIV Golf has once again failed to announce any major new signings to its roster. While it still features big names like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, and Cam Smith, most of its players are either past their peak or have struggled to maintain their spot on the tour.

But O’Neil is keen to address these issues, starting with the pending merger agreement with the PGA Tour. O’Neil mentioned how a merger would boost the league’s profile. “For us at LIV, we are hoping that that unlocks opportunity. That may unlock opportunity with markets, with courses, with marketing partners, with television networks, with growing the game, with competition opportunities, with new formats. But we’re … very excited about the potential investment with PIF and PGA Tour Enterprises,” he said.

O’Neil is also confident of getting more of the breakaway tour’s players to play in the majors, despite being denied world ranking points. “There are several paths to go down, and from conversations with the majors we are hoping the situation continues to evolve in our favor and we are very confident it will,” O’Neal told The Times in February.

The new CEO also has plans to increase the global appeal of the league and sustain its popularity in regions like Singapore and Hong Kong. Scott O’Neil seems to have moved past his little personal bumpy start at LIV Golf and perhaps with him at the helm, things might be looking up for the league in the near future.