LIV Golf shuts down after financial backers withdraw support

LIV Golf will be wound down after its last remaining backer, BC Partners Credit, pulled the plug on a proposed $300 million financing package, a move that will be confirmed in a court hearing on Thursday. The decision follows the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s withdrawal of support in April, which forced the league into bankruptcy protection in September and left its “LIV 2.0” revival without the capital needed to continue.

The league’s collapse comes after years of turbulence that began with its 2021 launch, when the Saudi‑backed venture lured top players with multimillion‑dollar contracts and prize money. With the PIF’s exit, LIV hoped BC Partners could keep the project alive, but the investment bank concluded the plan was not financially viable. The league faced a deadline to demonstrate sufficient player commitment for a 2027 season, a threshold it could not meet despite signing about 30 players, including some major winners, and receiving tentative co‑investor interest.

High‑profile departures accelerated the decline. Jon Rahm, Sergio García, Ian Poulter, Tyrrell Hatton and Graeme McDowell have already left, and Rahm is reportedly owed roughly $100 million from his contract. The European Tour, now the DP World Tour, has also tightened its stance, barring any player who signs with LIV for the 2027 season from joining its ranks and from competing in the Ryder Cup. Lee Westwood, one of LIV’s most prominent sign‑ups, said the revamped concept still had potential, but the lack of funding and the mounting legal and logistical hurdles made revival unlikely.

The winding‑down of LIV Golf marks the end of one of the most disruptive chapters in modern golf. Players who remain tied to the league must now seek new affiliations, while the European and PGA Tours stand to regain full control over the sport’s elite talent pool. The court filing on Thursday will likely seal LIV’s fate, confirming that the ambitious attempt to reshape professional golf has run out of steam.