TG spoke to a LIV player who says he wants to continue with the league next season. There seems to be a theme among those committing to 2.0…
With a deadline looming and the future in the balance, we’re about to learn what “enough critical mass of players to run a true professional golf league” actually looks like.
That’s the latest demand spelled out in bankruptcy court documents from BC Partners, the London-based lending company pledging $300 million to save LIV, on the basis that the league can secure a “required” number of player commitments before the original Oct. 25 deadline.
But the exodus has already begun. David Puig, Thomas Pieters and Charles Howell III should now follow Jon Rahm out of the exit door. A series of other departures will also be confirmed in the coming days, with LIV players lining up to use the DP World Tour as an invaluable landing ground.
There is, however, a subset of players within LIV’s dwindling ranks who still have good reason to stay. In a golf world desensitized by outsized prize pools, a proposed revival of 10 events featuring purses of between $5.5 million and $9 million seems meager when you remove the $30 million previously distributed to each tournament by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.
But for some golfers on tour, this new era remains an entirely attractive proposition. New Zealander Ben Campbell was part of Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats team on LIV, earning a total of $6 million despite his injuries. Having spent the majority of his intrepid career on the Asian tour, Campbell says his two seasons with LIV changed his life.
“It’s been great for me,” he says TG. “I really learned a lot from being around some of the best players and I have so many memories.”
After American Cameron Tringale and Englishman Richard Bland, Campbell is the third player under contract with LIV in 2026 to publicly declare his wish to stay.
“I would definitely stay with LIV next year if we can get LIV 2.0 through,” he confirms. “After events like Australia and South Africa and seeing the crowds that came, I hope LIV 2.0 continues.”
So what would Campbell’s program look like if LIV survived?
“I would definitely consider playing a full schedule on the Asian tour,” adds the 35-year-old, currently undergoing rehabilitation following hip surgery. “I would love to play 10-15 events in Asia and Australia, then 10 LIV events. That would be a great schedule for me, so fingers crossed it works.”
What concerns Campbell, however, is that a theme is emerging. Players who commit to LIV apparently have no interest in playing on the DP World Tour. Bland, 53, wants to mix a light schedule with major senior tournaments, while Tringale hasn’t played a regular event on the tour in four years.
And most importantly, the DP World Tour will now deny membership to those who sign up for LIV 2.0, leaving them with an ultimatum. LIV players with status, of whom there are around fifteen, must apply for their DP World Tour card before November 16 and there can no longer be a double deduction.
To complete a full schedule in 2027, LIV players may have to follow Campbell and look to the Asian Tour, the third least lucrative tier of the men’s soccer rankings.
Last year, the Asian Tour served as a feeder for LIV, but after also being distraught by the sudden withdrawal of money from the PIF, it is still feeling the “devastating” effects as it seeks to rebuild in partnership with the PGA and DP World Tours.
The prevailing sentiment is that players with opportunities to debut on the DP World Tour believe it would be too risky to turn that down in exchange for an equity stake in a league emerging from bankruptcy. European hopefuls would also sacrifice their Ryder Cup dreams. The daunting task of filling LIV’s 75 players with true quality has become infinitely more difficult due to the hard line of Wentworth HQ.
So it’s no surprise that all eyes at LIV are on Bryson DeChambeau. Like many of his other colleagues, DeChambeau had his initial LIV contract rejected this week to give him freedom over his next moves.
That’s not to say DeChambeau won’t embrace LIV 2.0 and his influence will surely weigh on some. But his silence has been obvious since the last LIV event in August. The two-time US Open champion has since explored the possibility of making more starts on the DP World Tour, in addition to his debut at the Gary Player’s Nedbank Challenge in South Africa next month. Membership in the European Tour is certainly an option.
With the PGA Tour seemingly unwilling to compromise on its 12-month suspensions for LIV players, the league’s only true star has a decision to make.
And it now seems certain that the future of this creaky league will depend on it.
Gn sports
