LIV Golf’s bankruptcy intensifies uncertainty over its future

The next few weeks could determine LIV Golf’s future as key dates in the league’s agreement with BC Partners approach. Recent bankruptcy filings also show how difficult the situation has become.

One of the clearest examples is Kooyonga Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia, which is scheduled to host LIV Golf from March 18–21, 2027. The event was announced on October 5, 2025. The agreement with LIV was signed roughly six months before Saudi Arabia formally announced a new financial strategy that included ending funding for LIV Golf.

In spring 2026, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil and his organization decided to move forward and try to sustain the rival league despite an expected sharp decline in the money available in its accounts. Kooyonga’s contract required LIV to pay 50 percent of the hosting fee by the beginning of July. According to the bankruptcy filings, the club was not paid.

Kooyonga general manager Brett Lewis said LIV requested an extension, then filed for bankruptcy just days before the payment deadline.

Kooyonga is among the many LIV vendors owed money, but its position is especially important: The club was part of the first version of LIV Golf and is also one of the first venues booked for a potential LIV 2.0, provided the league does not reject the contract.

Kooyonga is now seeking clarity. The club has set aside part of the first four months of 2027 for tournament preparations and wants to know whether to continue the work. If LIV rejects the contract, that time could be returned to the club’s calendar. Kooyonga estimates that the potential damages from continuing work for just the next month would be about $70,000.

Before that can be resolved, LIV must address other matters. To reach a formal, finalized agreement with BC Partners, the league must secure commitments by Oct. 13 from the required number and caliber of players for LIV 2.0. Some of its biggest targets have yet to make their intentions clear.

Jon Rahm was recently asked about his options, his original LIV contract and the possibility of joining LIV 2.0.

“There’s a long legal process [LIV has] to go through before a lot of things fall into place,” Rahm said. “I really can’t give you an answer right now.”

When asked whether he would honor his contract and commit to LIV 2.0, Rahm replied, “I said what I said.”

In France, Cameron Smith also described the players’ position as uncertain. Speaking to Evin Priest, he said, “We’re in a bit of a limbo [as players],” adding, “It’s hard to make a decision when you don’t have at least some of the answers to make the right decision, or any decision. We need a few more answers.”

In response to Kooyonga’s request for payment clarity, LIV—which is already spending heavily on an event it may or may not host in March—asked the bankruptcy judge to wait and consider the matter at a Nov. 5 hearing.

Kooyonga requested a faster ruling and asked the court to determine its status on Oct. 7. Judge Michael Kaplan chose a middle date, setting Oct. 22 as suitable for a ruling.

As a result, the list of decisions LIV must make and commitments it must secure in the coming weeks continues to grow.