LIV Golf Hangs On by a Thread As Clock Ticks on Future

LIV Golf’s future may be hanging on by a thread, but the league still appears to have a lifeline for a 2027 season, despite an exodus of many of the league’s most well-known players late last week.A Sunday deadline imposed by BC Partners Credit—the firm set to provide $300 million of new financing should LIV emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy—for a requisite number of players to commit to “LIV 2.0” came and went without any official announcement from BC Partners or the league. However, that deadline has been flexible, and was already pushed back from Oct. 13. The Saudi PIF, which controls LIV’s bankruptcy as the largest single creditor, has set its own Oct. 30 deadline to determine whether it will allow BC Partners to carry LIV forward, or wind down the league’s operations altogether, per bankruptcy filings. LIV’s next bankruptcy hearing is Nov. 5, when Judge Michael Kaplan—who is overseeing the case in New Jersey—is expected to get clarity on LIV’s next steps.As the clock ticks on LIV’s future, an initial group of undisclosed players are reportedly ready to sign up for LIV 2.0—around 15 golfers have “tentatively committed” to LIV’s next iteration, according to the Financial Times. Meanwhile, Dustin Johnson and a group of more than 10 players are attempting to negotiate settlements of the LIV contracts—which they claim total more than $100 million in future guarantees—directly with the PIF, according toThe Athletic.Last week, several of LIV’s biggest names publicly announced they will not return to the league in 2027, including: Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin, Louis Oosthuizen, Lucas Herbert, and Ian Poulter, among others. Their exits come after Jon Rahm earlier this month reached a settlement with LIV that saw the two-time major winner forfeit all remaining payments due while retaining name, image, and likeness rights of his former LIV team.Bryson DeChambeau, LIV’s biggest remaining star, has yet to announce whether he’ll return to the league, although it’s widely expected he will be part of LIV 2.0 if it happens.The post LIV Golf Hangs On by a Thread As Clock Ticks on Future appeared first on Front Office Sports.