In 2022, Cameron Young acknowledged he had seriously considered leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. What he didn’t reveal was just how close he came.
New bankruptcy records filed by LIV Golf show Young had signed an offer of intent with the breakaway league before ultimately deciding to remain with the PGA Tour.
Young’s near-departure is one of several revelations contained in the financial records, which offer a deeper look at the money LIV spent on players and executives before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sept. 8.
"Obviously it's the elephant in the room for everyone. Frankly, throughout the whole process with (LIV Golf), I was very interested. I think they have a bunch of good ideas and are doing some cool stuff," Young said in August
2022. "With some of the changes coming (to the PGA Tour), that's kind of what really helped me decide to kind of stay and pursue those goals that I have for myself like making a Presidents Cup team and a Ryder Cup team and winning a major, when all of that is just uncertain if you go. That's a tough place for me because, you know, I'm very young and there are a lot of factors."
Ultimately, Young stayed with the PGA Tour and has since won three times, including the 2026 Players Championship. He stands second on the 2026 PGA Tour money list with more than $15 million in earnings.
The records also revealed that Greg Norman, LIV Golf’s former commissioner and CEO, received more than $9.4 million when he left the league in September 2025, including a settlement of about $5.8 million and a $3.6 million bonus.
His successor, Scott O’Neil, received a $6.375 million retention bonus on June 24, less than three months before LIV filed for bankruptcy. That followed another bonus of approximately $2.7 million on Feb. 13.
From Sept. 12, 2025, through Aug. 28, O’Neil received more than $13.6 million in payroll, bonuses, benefits, retention payments and expense reimbursements, according to the court records.
All told, LIV paid approximately $15.6 million in retention payments to top executives. Chief financial officer David Phillips received more than $3.3 million, while chief legal officer John Ruzich received about $2.6 million.
Those figures have surfaced as LIV tries to determine whether it has a future at all.
LIV Golf and its related entities voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 protection Sept. 8, listing between $100 million and $500 million in assets and $500 million to $1 billion in liabilities.
The league has since been laying the groundwork for LIV 2.0, a reworked version of the circuit that could be backed by London-based private-equity firm BC Partners.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Michael B. Kaplan permitted LIV to enter into a restructuring plan with BC Partners that could provide as much as $300 million in financing, including an initial $4 million loan to help keep the league operating during the Chapter 11 process.
BC Partners announced earlier this month that it had made its initial financial commitment, but the larger investment comes with conditions. Among them is LIV retaining a certain percentage of its players.
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor of Golfweek and the golf coordinator for the USA Today Network.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Cameron Young was closer to joining LIV Golf than anyone knew
