LIV Golf Fate to Be Decided by Month's End — SkimNews
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- LIV Golf attorney Robert Fitzgerald told U.S. Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey Judge Michael B. Kaplan the league will know by month's end whether it ceases operations or moves forward with the planned LIV 2.0 relaunch.
- DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings announced the tour won't grant conditional status to LIV Golf 2.0 members for 2027, prompting Fitzgerald to call the timing "a clear attempt to interfere" with LIV's restructuring and raise anti-competitive concerns.
- Judge Kaplan approved LIV's motion to reject 19 current player contracts — including those of Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, and Bubba Watson — saying they don't reflect the contemplated compensation structure under LIV 2.0.
- BC Partners will provide up to $300 million in financing for LIV 2.0 under an amended restructuring agreement, including an initial $4 million loan to keep operations running through the Chapter 11 process.
- Under the new equity structure, LIV golfers will hold 52.5% of go-forward ownership, with BC Partners and potential minority investors at 45% and management at 2.5%.
- Jon Rahm's attorney told the court the two-time major champion won't join LIV 2.0; David Puig and Abraham Ancer are also reportedly walking away, while Smith, Marc Leishman, and Harold Varner III requested releases to explore other opportunities.
- An ad hoc group of LIV golfers including DeChambeau, Johnson, Watson, and Lee Westwood appeared at Wednesday's hearing for the first time with their own legal representation.
Why it matters: The $300 million BC Partners lifeline and 52.5% player equity stake are LIV's last real shot at sustainability, but the contract rejections and Rahm's exit shrink the talent pool before the relaunch — and the DP World Tour's dual-tour ban removes Ryder Cup eligibility as a sweetener for defectors weighing their options.
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