Bryson DeChambeau and some of LIV Golf's biggest remaining stars are officially free agents for the 2027 season.
It was a busy procedural hearing for LIV Golf in U.S. bankruptcy court on Wednesday, Oct. 14, but perhaps the most notable movement in the case related to the 19 golfers who had their LIV contracts officially rejected. The ruling by Judge Michael Kaplan, who also approved LIV Golf's restructuring support agreement with BC Partners, allows those golfers to either freely leave LIV Golf or negotiate new deals with LIV 2.0.
In addition, court filings revealed the league has reached a separation agreement with Jon Rahm that remains subject to court approval. LIV's attorneys said during Wednesday's hearing they expect a decision on whether the league will wind down operations or move forward with LIV 2.0 by the end of October.
Here's a breakdown of what's happening related to LIV Golf's bankruptcy case, including the 19 LIV golfers who are now technically free agents, plus the latest on DeChambeau and Rahm:
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Bryson DeChambeau among 19 new LIV Golf free agents
A U.S. bankruptcy court has approved a LIV Golf motion requesting to reject the current contracts of 19 golfers. LIV is attempting to renegotiate deals for LIV 2.0 with more limited resources available than when it launched while backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. LIV's restructuring agreement with BC Partners calls for a $300 million investment, though BC Partners has only committed $4 million to this point.
Court documents did not disclose how much LIV Golf would have owed each golfer based on their now-rejected contract. Rahm, DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Adrian Meronk and Tyrrell Hatton were among the top creditors listed when LIV Golf initially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in September.
Here are the golfers who had their LIV Golf contracts officially rejected by a federal judge on Oct. 14:
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Dustin Johnson
- Cameron Smith
- Thomas Detry
- Michael La Sasso
- Harold Varner III
- Lucas Herbert
- Caleb Surratt
- Marc Leishman
- Ian Poulter
- Lee Westwood
- Laurie Canter
- Bubba Watson
- Ben An
- Anirban Lahiri
- Victor Perez
- Cameron Tringale
- Sam Horsfield
- Brendan Steele
Sergio Garcia was previously granted the right to be released from his LIV contract and pursue other professional golf opportunities by the court. Garcia, Rahm, David Puig, Adrian Meronk and Abraham Ancer are LIV golfers from the 2026 who have already indicated publicly they won't be signing up for LIV 2.0.
Golfers have until Oct. 25 to sign with LIV 2.0, according to the restructuring support agreement, but BC Partners is permitted to alter the deadline.
Jon Rahm separation agreement with LIV Golf
A new court filing on Oct. 15 states Rahm and LIV Golf have come to terms on a separation agreement related to his contract, pending the approval of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge. It was a formality after Rahm's attorney announced during court proceedings earlier this month that Rahm would not be participating in LIV 2.0 after reviewing contract terms he had deemed "unacceptable."
Rahm agreed to release all of his remaining financial claims against LIV Golf in exchange for the return of his exclusive name, image and likeness rights, according to court records. LIV will also transfer the rights to the "Rahmbo" and "Legion XIII" marks to Rahm, but he won't be allowed to use the Legion XIII name in another golf league, specifically TGL. Rahm reportedly had a deal with LIV worth more than $300 million.
DP World Tour move irks LIV Golf
LIV Golf's attorney said in court Wednesday that the DP World Tour's announcement earlier this week that its golfers would have to pick between the two tours for the 2027 season, "strikes us as a clear attempt to interfere with our process with our players and potentially our reorganization writ large."
The European-based DP World Tour has decided to not allow LIV Golf members to compete in DP World Tour events during the 2027 season. Only golfers who are members of the DP World Tour are permitted to play for Europe in the Ryder Cup.
This means any European golfers who commit to LIV 2.0 will be ineligible to take part in the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor. Top LIV Golf players like Rahm and Hatton, both of whom have been European Ryder Cup stalwarts in recent years, had previously been granted conditional releases to participate on the DP World Tour.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge Michael Kaplan acknowledged the position taken by the DP World Tour does "raise concerns."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bryson DeChambeau among 19 new LIV free agents as Jon Rahm gets exit deal