LIV Golf Aims To Have 13 Franchises Worth $1B Each As the PIF-Backed League Reveals Interest in Minority Stakes

Sonali SV

January 14, 2026 | 3:00 PM EST

LIV Golf Aims To Have 13 Franchises Worth $1B Each As the PIF-Backed League Reveals Interest in Minority Stakes — LIV Golf aims to have 13 franchises worth $1B each as the PIF-backed league reveals interest in minority stakes

LIV Golf is aiming to turn each of its 13 teams into billion-dollar franchises as part of its long-term growth plan. The Saudi-backed league also revealed that it has received strong interest from potential minority investors, signaling a shift toward a more franchise-driven business model.

The update came during LIV Golf’s media preview week at the Palm Beach Convention Center. CEO Scott O’Neil, president of business operations Chris Heck, head of events Ross Hallett, and executive vice president and head of team business and operations Katie O’Reilly met with reporters to outline the league’s future plans. LIV will play 14 events this season, starting next month in Riyadh.

O’Reilly said the league’s main goal is to raise the value of each team to $1 billion, even though it has not reached that mark yet. She added that the focus right now is on building a strong base that can support that target in the long run.

“Our goal is to build 13 billion-dollar franchises,” she said. “That is our goal. Are we there yet? No. But right now we are building the foundation for that … right now we are focused on things like driving sponsorship revenue. Each of our 13 teams are heading into the 2026 season with a marquee partner, whether it’s on their chest, on the hat, the Pings, the Callaways of the world.

“Additionally, we are building new businesses under the teams and we are leveraging and using our NIL rights. So right now we are foundation-building. But certainly we are headed that way.” (via Sports Illustrated)

Chris Heck also said there has been significant interest from potential franchise owners. He added that LIV is in the middle of revamping its television production as part of its efforts to grow its reach and commercial value.

Along with the franchise push, LIV Golf is also increasing its prize money. Weekly purses for individual events will rise to more than $22 million, up from $20 million, while team purses will double from $5 million to $10 million.

CEO Scott O’Neil said the league is also working on several other changes, including the move toward more 72-hole events, as it continues to strengthen its case for Official World Golf Ranking recognition.

LIV Golf pushes for OWGR recognition with format changes

LIV Golf is continuing its push for Official World Golf Ranking recognition, and CEO Scott O’Neil said the league is making several changes to strengthen its case. He explained that the recent switch to 72-hole events is just one part of a larger plan.

“We have several changes coming this year,” he said. “But the move to 72 holes was much talked about. For us, that was relatively simple. We want to make sure that our players are best prepared for the majors, that it’s not as much of a sprint, that our teams have a chance to recover after a tough day one.”

Looking ahead, O’Neil said more format changes are on the way, including updates to competition zones that could help LIV’s OWGR case.

“You’ll see an expanded Lock Zone, an expanded Drop Zone this year, which as we’re working towards world ranking points, we think there’s some things, some shifts you’ll see in ’26 that I think help our case and continue to give us more hope that that comes through,” he said.

LIV first applied for OWGR recognition last summer after being rejected in October 2023. Since then, O’Neil and OWGR chairman Trevor Immelman have remained in regular contact, though no clear decision date has been announced. O’Neil said the league would like to see progress soon, ideally before the season begins.

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