
As LIV Golf prepares to begin its next chapter, the Saudi-funded golf league filed for Chapter 11 protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of New Jersey on Tuesday.
According to the filing, some of the league's most prominent creditors are actually its players. Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, the two biggest stars on the rival tour, are owed a combined $13.2 million.
The league, which is no longer backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, revealed it had between $100 million and $500 million in assets and $500 million to $1 billion in liabilities. A large portion of those liabilities came in the form of past-due payments owed to golfers.
Jon Rahm ($7.5 million), Bryson DeChambeau ($5.7 million), Dustin Johnson ($5.5 million), Cameron Smith ($4.8 million), Tyrrell Hatton ($3.4 million) and Brooks Koepka ($1.7 million) are owed the most among present and past players.
Rahm and DeChambeau, who reportedly signed nine-figure contracts to join the league, are two of the biggest creditors in the filing. Despite not being paid the full amount they're owed, both superstars are planning on teeing it up for the restructured LIV Golf in 2027.
There it is... LIV Golf files for banrkuptcy
— Zach Schonfeld (@ZachASchonfeld) September 8, 2026
Estimates $100M-$500M in assets, liabilities between $500M-$1B.
John Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith are listed among LIV's largest unsecured creditors. pic.twitter.com/IhWW03UKa5
LIV Golf's future looked grim when the breakaway league lost its funding and canceled its season-ending Team Championship in Michigan. Filing for bankruptcy didn't improve the optics, but CEO Scott O'Neil still believes in his league.
"Now it is time to enter the next phase of LIV Golf," O'Neil wrote in a letter to fans this week. "Today, we took an important step forward to get there. LIV Golf has entered a court-supervised restructuring process that provides us with the time and framework to address previous financial obligations and complete a transaction that will make the League's next phase a reality. Put simply, this process is designed to build a stronger and more sustainable future for LIV Golf."
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