LIV Golf’s high-profile stars are waiting to collect more than £30million in unpaid money from the Saudi-backed rebel league after it filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday.
A ‘Chapter 11’ petition was lodged in New Jersey last night, with the breakaway league locked in a battle for survival ever since its Saudi Arabian backers announced in April that they were pulling the plug.
Although the latest development had been widely expected, it marks a significant milestone in LIV’s dramatic downfall, coming four years after its arrival triggered an ugly civil war in the sport.
The ‘Chapter 11’ petition also revealed the staggering sums owed to LIV’s golfers, who are listed among the league’s unsecured creditors.
Jon Rahm tops the list with a huge $7.5million (£5.5m) outstanding, followed by Bryson DeChambeau, who is owed $5.8m (£4.3m).
Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Adrian Meronk are owed $5.5m (£4.1m), $4.8m (£3.5m) and $4.4m (£3.2m) respectively, while English golfer Tyrrell Hatton has $3.4m (£2.5m) in unsecured claims.
LIV Golf’s high-profile stars are waiting to collect more than £30million in unpaid money – Jon Rahm, pictured, tops the list with a huge $7.5million (£5.5m) outstanding in unsecured claims
The sums detailed in the petition refer to money already owed to the golfers as of the date of the filing, rather than the full value of their respective LIV contracts.
Rahm’s mammoth LIV contract was agreed at a reported $350m (£258m), which means the £5.5m currently outstanding represents only a fraction of the enormous deal he signed to join the breakaway league.
While bankruptcy might allow the circuit to realise its stated ambition of a LIV 2.0, it remains to be seen if their forthcoming union with BC Partners, a private equity group, will be sufficient for the league to extend into a 2027 season.
The greatest unknown at this stage is which of their marquee players will stay with the project in a vastly diminished and less lucrative form, as it is understood that bankruptcy will allow the golfers to exit their contracts, even if they have time still to run.
Any LIV golfers looking to return to the PGA Tour could face a fresh battle for reinstatement, with the American circuit having already imposed significant financial penalties on players who defected to its Saudi-backed rival.
Earlier this year, Rahm appeared to hedge his bets by making peace with the PGA Tour, agreeing to return for occasional appearances and pay the fines he had accrued since joining LIV in 2024.
Bryson DeChambeau, whose LIV deal expired at the end of the 2026 season, is owed £4.3m
Yasir Al Rumayyan (Governor of PIF, Chairman of Aramco) congratulates winning player, Elvis Smylie (Ripper GC) on day 4 of LIV Golf in Riyadh LIV Golf Riyad back in February
‘The DP World Tour (PGA European Tour) and Jon Rahm have come to an agreement on conditional releases to play in conflicting tournaments on LIV Golf during the remainder of its 2026 season,’ a spokesperson from the league said. Meanwhile, Rahm revealed there was ‘no longer a standoff’ and that concessions were made by both parties.
DeChambeau‘s deal expired at the end of the 2026 season but he is expected to recommit in return for equity in the league. The picture around Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton is far more concerning to LIV insiders – both men are contracted through 2028 and Daily Mail Sport sources had indicated prior to bankruptcy that both men were likely to leave in the event of the petition being filed.
Rahm, for one, hinted at the possibility earlier on Tuesday, when asked at the DP World Tour’s Irish Open if he would like to see a pathway back to the PGA Tour. He said: ‘I still have a contract with LIV 1.0 that I am more than willing to fulfil, so like I said time will tell.’
The choice of phrase – ‘LIV 1.0’ – would suggest his loyalty was contingent on his existing terms being honoured in order to continue with LIV.
