Players head for exits as LIV Golf is shutting down after debtors bail

Funding Comes to an End

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, or PIF, had financed LIV Golf. Earlier this year, it said it would end its investment after the 2026 season, following spending of more than $5 billion since the league began.

Players Seek Other Routes

Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton and Louis Oosthuizen were among players described as uninterested in remaining with LIV. Brooks Koepka chose to return to the PGA Tour.

Rahm agreed to give up claims against LIV said to be worth about $100 million to leave his contract. He has returned to the European tour and hopes to find a route back to the PGA Tour, which currently imposes a one-year ban dating from a player’s last LIV appearance.

Payments Face Questions

LIV paid $15.6 million to keep seven executives, including $6.375 million to chief executive Scott O’Neil, during the months between PIF and LIV filing for bankruptcy. Such payments are not unusual for a company seeking to emerge from bankruptcy. But with LIV no longer proceeding, the report says it is unclear whether the payments can be voided.

Partnerships And Broadcasts

LIV had no broadcast deal in its first year and paid production costs itself. The CW Network took on broadcasts in 2023, followed by Fox Sports in 2025.