Report: LIV Golf relaunch collapses as BC Partners drops bid, league faces liquidation - Golfweek
LIV Golf will not receive funding for its 2027 season from BC Partners, the Financial Times reported Wednesday afternoon.
BC Partners had planned to invest $300 million into the breakaway golf tour, provided it could get enough players to commit to competing next year. LIV Golf, which filed for bankruptcy in September, is now on the verge of extinction and is likely to seek a liquidation of its assets.
LIV Golf and BC Partners were seeking 30 to 40 players to compete on the circuit next season. Sources reportedly told the Financial Times that they had achieved the lower end of that goal with another 10 golfers still mulling commitment, but player representatives were making financial demands that could not be met, thus complicating the negotiations.
Golfweek has reached out to LIV Golf officials for comment but has not yet received a response.
In April, the Saudi Public Investment Fund decided to end its financial backing of LIV Golf, leaving the league scrambling to find new investors. LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil announced in August that an agreement had been reached with a new lead investor. A month later, LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as part of a restructuring agreement with BC Partners aimed at preserving the league and making players majority owners of the reorganized company, dubbed "LIV 2.0."
But what followed was a mass exodus of players, including many of its top stars like Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter, who opted not to participate in the new-look league, which had planned to feature fewer tournaments and significantly smaller prize pools as a result of losing Saudi funding.
Josh Carpenter with Sports Business Journal reported that a source said the remaining "big names" who were still at the negotiating table ― such as Bryson DeChambeau, Cam Smith, Joaquin Niemann and Dustin Johnson ― recently opted not to sign with LIV 2.0, leading to BC Partners dropping its bid.
Just last week, DeChambeau stood firm in his belief in the circuit's survival, saying during a podcast appearance that the new version can “make full financial sense” and he hoped that it would last “forever.” But Wednesday's report from the Financial Times suggests that LIV won't even last to next season.
Despite the financial turmoil, bankruptcy court documents revealed that LIV Golf made several multimillion-dollar payments to top executives over the last 18 months. Greg Norman, LIV's former commissioner and CEO, received a settlement of about $5.8 million and a $3.6 million bonus when he departed in September 2025. O'Neil, Norman's successor, was paid $6.3 million in June 2026 ― more than a month after funding was pulled by the Saudi PIF, which is estimated to have spent around $6 billion on LIV Golf since the league's inception in 2021.
Editor's note: This is a developing story; stay with Golfweek for updates.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
Nick Stavas is a digital producer and commerce writer for Golfweek. Follow him on X/Twitter (@nickstavas).
