CEO O'Neil given $6.3M before LIV bankruptcy protection filing — SkimNews
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- Scott O'Neil received a $6.375 million retention payment on June 24, less than three months before LIV Golf filed for Chapter 11, after collecting a roughly $2.7 million bonus on Feb. 13.
- Scott O'Neil received more than $13.6 million in payroll, bonuses, benefits, retention payments and expense reimbursements from Sept. 12, 2025, to Aug. 28, 2026.
- Greg Norman received about $5.8 million in a settlement and a $3.6 million bonus when he left LIV Golf in September 2025, totaling more than $9.4 million.
- David Phillips received more than $3.3 million and chief legal officer John Ruzich about $2.6 million, part of approximately $15.6 million in retention payments to LIV Golf’s top executives.
- LIV Golf and related entities voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 on Sept. 8, reporting between $100 million and $500 million in assets and $500 million to $1 billion in liabilities.
- Michael B. Kaplan permitted LIV Golf to enter a restructuring plan with BC Partners; the court record describes up to $300 million in financing for LIV Golf 2.0, including a $4 million initial loan to keep operations going.
- LIV Golf’s attorney told Kaplan the league should know by the end of the month whether it will proceed with LIV Golf 2.0 or wind down operations.
Why it matters: For creditors, the filings show $15.6 million paid in executive retention while LIV Golf entered Chapter 11 with $500 million to $1 billion in liabilities. The court-permitted plan with BC Partners lists up to $300 million in financing and a $4 million initial loan to keep operations going.
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