About 15 golfers have tentatively committed to LIV 2.0.
The Financial Times reported Sunday that the players, who are unnamed, are among the initial commitments to LIV 2.0, with more expected later this week. BC Partners, the private-equity firm that agreed to a $300 million investment into LIV if the league could garner enough player commitments for the 2027 season, set a date of Sunday, Oct. 25 for players to commit to the new iteration of the league.
Additional golfers, including those among a Dustin Johnson-led group seeking severance payments from the PIF, could agree to join the league later this week if their contract settlements with LIV 1.0 are resolved, per the report.
That interest has given BC Partners enough encouragement to seek an
official deal for LIV 2.0 in the coming days.
BC Partners is seeking a league of at least 30 to 40 players to start, and it's likely to extend the player commitment deadline to Friday, Oct. 30. That's the date the PIF, which according to bankruptcy documents, has set a deadline of for a deal on LIV 2.0. If not, it will begin to wind down the league. PIF, as the sole lender to LIV, controls the bankruptcy process, per the report.
Only four players – Richard Bland, Cameron Tringale, Brendan Steele and Ben Campbell – have publicly committed to LIV 2.0. Far more players, like Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and more than a dozen others, have said their time with the league is complete. Others, like Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, have yet to make an announcement about their future one way or the other.
If LIV 2.0 gets off the ground, the expectation is for a 10-event schedule in 2027 with five events around the world and five in the United States. The Financial Times reports BC Partners' goal is eventually a 17-event world-wide schedule. The plan is for players to have an equity share in LIV 2.0, with many players reportedly asking BC Partners to explain their power and governance rights, how the league will make money and the potential risks and rewards.
Bankruptcy documents reveal LIV players are owed more than $400 million. Some players, like Rahm, have negotiated separation agreements.
Financial Times also reports BC Partners has targeted a $5 billion tax-loss asset that LIV has accrued, which would give the firm the ability to make future corporate acquisitions.
But as far as LIV 2.0, there's traction toward the new league getting off the ground.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: LIV 2.0 gains roughly 15 tentative player commitments, per report
