LIV Golf has lost another major champion as it makes the transition to “LIV 2.0”.
Former British champion Louis Oosthuizen announced on social media on Wednesday that he will be leaving LIV Golf and will return to the DP World Tour next season. Oosthuizen was the captain of the GC Southern guard team, and had been formed by LIV Golf for the first time in 2022.
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Oosthuizen describes the decision to leave the election as “probably the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in my life”.
“Five years ago I made one of the best decisions of my life, to step away from the traditional world of golf and into something very special with LIV Golf and Guardians GC South”, Oosthuizen. it is said in the announcement. “I am the biggest supporter of the Caledonian Cup and always will be. It needs a lot more.”
Oosthuizen, 44, has won 11 times on the DP Tour in his career, most recently at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in 2023. He undoubtedly became the greatest South African at the British Open in 2010.
LIV Golf has worked to survive next season after a dark campaign in 2026. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced earlier this year that it would no longer cancel the federal startup’s contract, despite reportedly pouring more than $5 billion into it. LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month. LIV Golf has since reached an agreement with BC Partners, which will invest more than $300 million into the new league as long as certain conditions are met.
Part of the bankruptcy hearing is that several golfers, including Oosthuizen, have been kicked out of the game. And with a lot of uncertainty surrounding the league, and feeling like he can still compete in this career, Oosthuizen was ready to return to the European circuit.
“I realized I had a lot more in me, and my biggest fear was that the Liv 2.0 schedule would be tough to manage,” he said. “I have a few years of good, ball racing left in me, and the only way to be really sharp and aggressive is to qualify through the schedule.”
Several big names have already left LIV Golf, announced plans to do so or asked a court judge to end their activities with LIV Golf so they can explore other options. Chief among them was Jon Rahm, although Cam Smith, Sergio Garcia, David Puig and Abraham Ancer are also walking. Patrick Reed retires in January, and has almost earned his PGA Tour card through the DP World Tour this season.
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Currently, golfers will be looking at Sunday’s deadline to be able to play in LIV 2.0, although that deadline may be extended. The The DP Tour, though, has a strict November 16 players to apply for membership next season. And the European league said that the players will not be able to compete with them and LIV Golf next year, which has already been allowed for several seasons in the past.
It is uncertain whether the LIV Golf will actually continue in 2027. Or The attorney for Liv Golf said at the bankruptcy hearing Last week they knew the fate of the league at the end of the month. But as more and more players are missing, retaining top talent is clearly flowing as the venture is struggling to pay.