LIV halves its finale purse as O'Neil declines to rule out bankruptcy

LIV Golf's season finale at The Club at Chatham Hills pays out about half of what the league's events have been paying, across every category it awards money in. The individual purse for Indianapolis is $10.1 million with $2.02 million to the winner. At the New Jersey event immediately before it, the individual pot was $20 million and Joaquin Niemann won $4 million.

How far have the payouts fallen?

Far enough that the comparison holds in every column, including the season-long awards that have been LIV's single biggest cheques.

The team money is compressed twice over. LIV had originally said $40 million would be at stake at the Michigan Team Championship; that event was cancelled, the team prizes are now being settled in Indianapolis instead, and the 2026 total has landed at $30 million. The season-long individual award pays $6 million, $3 million and $1 million across the top three, $10 million in all.

What is driving the cuts?

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund said earlier this year that it would stop funding LIV beyond the 2026 season. Michigan was the second event LIV cancelled this year, and it is not clear whether either cancellation affected contractual obligations.

Payment timing has also become visible. Charles Howell III said on Tuesday that players had not yet been paid from the New Jersey event, while adding that he had been told the money would arrive the following day and that nobody was concerned about it.

Is bankruptcy on the table?

O'Neil was asked directly at his Wednesday news conference in Indianapolis and did not close the door.

I don't think we would rule out any option.

He framed the league's entire focus as completing a transaction, describing the job as landing the plane so that it can take off again.