LIV Golf has filed for bankruptcy in New Jersey, saying it intends to restructure its business with a $US49.6 million ($68.7 million) bankruptcy loan provided by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia.
The company has between $US500 million and $US1 billion in liabilities and between $US100 million and $US500 million in assets, according to its Chapter 11 petition.
LIV Golf said the bankruptcy will allow it to move forward with the support of a new backer, BC Partners Advisors LP, and transition to a player-first ownership model.
BC Partners and other potential minority investors are expected to provide exit financing and sponsor the company’s debt restructuring, LIV Golf said.
LIV has been preparing for its next iteration ever since the PIF said in April that further investment in the rebel circuit no longer aligned with its strategy and that it would cut funding at the close of the 2026 season.
PIF owns 100 per cent of LIV Golf’s equity, according to its bankruptcy petition.
The PIF has invested more than $US5 billion in LIV Golf since its launch in 2022 and the breakaway circuit used massive signing bonuses to poach big-name players from the PGA Tour like Australian Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson.
Rahm, DeChambeau and Johnson are the company’s top three unsecured creditors, according to the petition. Each is owed more than $US5 million.
Speaking in the build-up to the Irish Open, before news of the Chapter 11 petition broke, Rahm was asked if he knew what the future held.
“Yes and no, it hasn’t really changed from my last interview in Indianapolis a few weeks ago,” the two-time major winner said.
“And there’s just a lot of things in place, right? There’s a lot of things that could happen, and it’s one of those things where time’s gonna tell.
“To be fair for us, people that joined LIV, I’m pretty good at dealing with turbulence.”
LIV Golf said bankruptcy is meant to keep the league in business while transitioning to an innovative player-first ownership model. The company hopes to exit from bankruptcy by early 2027.
“We believe deeply in LIV Golf’s future, the opportunity in front of us, and the people who will help us realise it,” LIV Golf chief executive Scott O’Neil said in a statement.
The professional men’s golf league laid off most of its workforce in August, while it worked to secure new funding.
Reuters/AAP
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