New York (AFP) - The Live Golf Tour announced its separation from the world of golf, putting an end to its career after five years during which it caused major disruption in the game at the global level, after it confirmed, on Thursday, that it had abandoned plans to relaunch it following the loss of its main Saudi supporters.
Published on: 05/11/2026 - 19:33
The announcement comes in the wake of reports that BC Partners Credit, the main investor in the Live 2.0 project, has withdrawn from the initiative, after facing difficulties in convincing a number of the game’s most prominent stars to fully commit to continuing to participate in the round.
In a statement, Live Golf explained that attempts to implement the restructuring support agreement with the investment company did not lead to results.
The statement read: “Despite extensive discussions, the parties involved were ultimately unable to reach a consensual settlement on some of the outstanding terms of the deal stipulated in the Restructuring Support Agreement. In light of the current circumstances, we believe that moving towards an orderly winding-up of the Round’s activities is the most responsible path at this stage.”
The statement confirmed statements made by LiveGolf's attorney, Matthew Williams, during a 13-minute hearing before the New Jersey Bankruptcy Court on Thursday.
During the session, it became clear that the tour, which had generous Saudi funding and caused a revolution in the world of golf by attracting the most prominent stars away from the traditional PGA Tour, would begin liquidating the remainder of its assets from Monday.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund had pumped an estimated five billion dollars into the round since 2022, before suddenly deciding to stop financing it earlier this year.
“Leaf Golf” officially filed for bankruptcy protection last September, despite its officials confirming their intention to launch a new version under the name “Leaf 2.0” starting next season, with a shorter competition schedule and less financial prizes, in addition to granting players ownership shares in the tour.
BC Partners Credit has pledged to provide initial financing of up to $300 million.
However, a number of the most prominent former “Leaf Golf” stars, including Spaniard Jon Rahm, publicly announced in recent weeks their decision to withdraw from the new version, while it appeared that a number of others had not decided their position yet.
Even American Bryson DeChambeau, who is considered one of the most prominent stars of the breakaway tour and who continued to support it, did not publicly announce his commitment to returning to competitions.
© 2026 AFP
The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.
