Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, the 2010 Open Championship winner, has decided to leave LIV Golf. With marquee players departing one after another, following former world No. 1 Jon Rahm of Spain, the survival of LIV Golf itself is now being tested as the circuit reels from the withdrawal of backing by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Oosthuizen said on social media that he had decided to leave LIV Golf and called it the hardest decision of his life, according to the BBC and other outlets on the 22nd, Korean time.
Explaining the move, he said he believes he has a few more years of competitive golf left in him, and that staying competitive requires a schedule he can control. Oosthuizen, 44, is expected to move to the European DP World Tour next season.
Beyond his 2010 Open Championship title, Oosthuizen finished runner-up five times at the four major championships and climbed as high as No. 4 in the world ranking. His exit carries added weight because he was a founding member who joined LIV Golf when the circuit launched in 2022.
The list of departures is growing quickly. Sergio Garcia of Spain, Thomas Pieters of Belgium, Abraham Ancer of Mexico, David Puig of Spain and Adrian Meronk of Poland had already announced their exits, and Rahm packed his bags last week. With Oosthuizen now added to the list, the outflow has effectively become an exodus.
A funding shortfall has been the decisive blow to LIV Golf's decline. After PIF, its largest backer, halted support, LIV Golf filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code. With the tour's very continuation in doubt, the contract risk facing players has grown as well.
Relations with the established tours, another pillar of the circuit's operations, are also working against it. The DP World Tour has raised the pressure by stating that it will not grant membership next season to players who remain with LIV Golf.
To put out the immediate fire, LIV Golf has secured about $300 million (approximately 398 billion won) in financing from investment firm BC Partners Credit and plans to stage its events next season.
Still, it remains unclear whether the tour can protect the value of its broadcasting rights and sponsorships while its marquee stars leave one after another.