LIV Golf is set to be wound down after its investor withdrew support, because a proposed new version of the league failed to attract enough players.
The league had hoped BC Partners Credit would provide up to $300m (£223m) in financing after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) withdrew its backing in April, which led LIV to file for bankruptcy protection in September. The money could have helped it continue in a new form, dubbed LIV 2.0. BBC Sport understands that BC Partners has decided it is not viable to pursue a deal.
Those working on LIV 2.0 had reportedly received commitments from co-investors and about 30 players, including major winners, but sources say the timelines proved insurmountable and the agreements needed to go ahead could not be reached. A loose deadline for LIV to confirm its 2027 players passed last Sunday. An attorney for LIV is expected to tell a court hearing on Thursday that the proposal is not viable.
The league had already announced an event at Kooyonga Golf Club in Adelaide from March 18 to 21. South Australia premier Peter Malinauskas said he did not expect it to go ahead. “It feels like it’s game, set and match as far as I can tell,” he told ABC Adelaide.
LIV was founded in 2021, and its first season was played the following year. It threatened to split the sport, with players who joined banned from other tours and from events including the Ryder Cup. PIF spent more than $5bn (£3.7bn), luring major winners including Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau with lucrative contracts and large prize funds.
Its future has been uncertain this year. The 2026 season ended early, with an event in Indianapolis in August proving the last. After PIF withdrew, LIV announced a “strategic evolution”, including a new independent board, and sought replacement investors. Players kept leaving, among them Rahm, Ian Poulter, Tyrrell Hatton and Graeme McDowell. It was reported that Rahm was owed about $100m (£75m) from the rest of his contract.
Pressure also came from the European tour, which said last month that players who signed up for LIV next season would not be allowed to be DP World Tour members in 2027. That would have ended any chance of playing in the Ryder Cup, as only DP World Tour members can represent Europe.
Lee Westwood said this week that the revamp still had potential, but that “there hasn’t been anything presented to me that is agreeable for LIV 2.0”. DeChambeau, who hasn’t revealed his plans, said he hopes the league “exists forever”. Former TaylorMade and Adidas executive Mark King was appointed senior adviser last week.
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