Northern Ireland's Graeme Mc Dowell has become the latest major champion to confirm his departure from LIV Golf. The 2010 US Open winner, 47, announced on Monday that he has "decided not to pursue" LIV 2.0, the new version of the breakaway tour due to start in 2027.
Major winners Jon Rahm and Louis Oosthuizen have also confirmed their departures. Mc Dowell's fellow countryman Tom Mc Kibbin said last week he was exiting LIV to return to the DP World Tour, while England's Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter have also left the competition.
The upheaval follows a major shift in funding. Saudi's Public Investment Fund withdrew its backing from LIV in April, having pumped in more than $5bn (£3.8bn), and the league filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States last month. It has secured a possible $300m (£224m) in financing from BC Partners Credit to move forward with LIV 2.0, but only a handful of players have so far committed.
Former world number four Mc Dowell joined LIV when it launched in 2022 as a lucrative Saudi Arabia-backed project. The 11-time DP World Tour winner's best finish on LIV was a tie for second in Virginia in June 2025. "I'm grateful for the opportunity I've had over the last four years and want to thank everyone who has been part of that journey," said the four-time Ryder Cup player. "I look forward to the next chapter in my career." Earlier this year, he had held "really positive" talks about returning to the DP World Tour next season, adding he was "lucky to have that option".
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing