Conversations over player participation in LIV 2.0 next season remain fully on track despite the loss of Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed with other players also weighing up their futures.
LIV Golf does not intend to announce returning players in a one-off basis. It is unlikely that the league will announce returning or committed players prior to the October 25 deadline for players to formally sign on with LIV Golf 2.0.
However, a new bombshell could put a spanner in the works with the BBC reporting that DP World Tour Chief Executive Guy Kinnings has said that the DP World Tour will not allow any player who signs up to LIV Golf next season to be a member of its circuit in 2027.
LIV Golf 2.0 was set to offer a ten event global schedule next season which would have allowed players to compete elsewhere on other tours in national opens for example. The proposed prize purses rank second only to the PGA TOUR, placing them ahead of the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR Track 2. Players would also be given real team and league equity and expanded individual commercial rights should they sign on.
Having entered into a reported $300 million agreement with BC Partners which gives them control over player commitments and the opportunity to waive the October 25 deadline for signings. This means BC Partners can provide extra time for players to finalise their LIV 2.0 agreements and with just under two weeks to go, there are a lot of players who are looking for the exit door rather than a pen and paper.
Joaquin Niemann and Cam Smith have hinted at wanting to leave LIV and Matt Wolff, Cameron Tringale, Marc Leishman, Byeong-hun An and Harold Varner III have all filed legal requests to have their contracts terminated just like Sergio did.
Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood have taken up DP World Tour membership again, and even Bryson De Chambeau is asking the DP World Tour about the possibility of getting tournament starts in 2027 outside of the four major championships.
Despite the ongoing uncertainty over player futures, Ted Goldthorpe of BC Parnters spoke last week at a conference in London and he was optimistic about LIV Golf 2.0.
“Yes, 100%. We’re super committed. We’re going to start hiring back employees and planning for next year’s events. All systems go. The next 22 days will be about signing up the players, and I feel very good about that. We’ve had a lot of constructive dialogue with them. We obviously have a deadline now, but that’s the next big step for us.
“The pitch to the players is straightforward. Our prize money is comparable to other leagues they can play in, and they have ownership. Look at the athletes who’ve created the most wealth for themselves: a lot of it is through ownership…. They (the players) can create real wealth at the team level and the holding company level, and they still play for prize money and make good money. To the extent we can make the league sustainable, they’ll create real wealth on these teams.”
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