LIV Golf filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and its Saudi backer reportedly pulled more than $5 billion in funding. Now the Oosthuizen LIV Golf exit is official, and the man who won the 2010 Open at St. Andrews says he wants his career back on his own terms.
The 44-year-old South African announced Wednesday that he will return to the DP World Tour in January 2027, according to ESPN’s report on his statement.
That makes Oosthuizen the second notable player to publicly confirm an exit from the league, after Jon Rahm, Golf.com reports. We covered how Rahm walked away from a reported $100 million to get out. And the timing is not an accident.
Why Oosthuizen leaving LIV hits the league hard
He was not a role player. Oosthuizen captained the all-South African Southern Guards GC from the league’s first season in June 2022. Now he is stepping away from both his playing spot and the captaincy, Reuters reported. He also owns 11 DP World Tour wins, so he is going back to familiar ground.
He wrote on X: “Five years ago, I made one of the best decisions of my life, moving away from the traditional golf world and into something very special with LIV Golf and Southern Guards GC.” He added that he is “the biggest supporter of team golf and always will be.”
He called the move the hardest decision of his professional career.
Why Oosthuizen quits LIV: time and travel
So why leave? Oosthuizen says it comes down to time and travel. “I feel I have a few more years of good, competitive golf left in me,” he said. “The only way to be really sharp and competitive is through a schedule I control.”
He also admitted his biggest fear was that the schedule on a rebuilt LIV would be tough to manage. Speaking in Hong Kong, where he is playing this week’s Hong Kong Open, he put it plainly: “It’s time to move on… It’s a lot of international travel for single events.” Compleat Golfer relayed his comments to the South China Morning Post.
The European circuit is also home. “It’s where I started as a youngster back in 2004 after turning professional in 2002,” he said. “So I’m happy to be back,” he told IOL. That Oosthuizen DP World Tour return gives the European circuit a major champion back.
The league behind the Oosthuizen LIV Golf exit is in bankruptcy
Here’s the thing: this is not a normal player move, and it matters if you care where golf’s biggest names will be playing. LIV filed voluntarily for Chapter 11 on Sept. 8. Saudi Arabia’s PIF pulled its funding, which court records put at more than $5 billion over five years, ESPN reports. That is not couch-cushion money. LIV still hopes to launch a “LIV 2.0” in 2027.
One lifeline is already in place. A judge has approved a potential $300 million investment from BC Partners. However, Golf Monthly reports it can reportedly proceed in full only if enough players sign on for 2027 and beyond. So every departure puts that cash at risk.
Last week, a U.S. bankruptcy judge let LIV reject certain golfers’ contracts, including Oosthuizen’s. Golf Digest reports that the court rejected 19 deals. That freed stars like Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Bubba Watson. In other words, the exits are as much about the legal reset as they are about loyalty.
What the Oosthuizen LIV Golf exit means for fans
You do not have to follow every tour stop to feel this one. Where these players land decides who you see at the majors, on the PGA Tour and on your TV for years. Several of the freed players are U.S. stars, and even Rory McIlroy says he’d vote to let LIV golfers come back. If you buy tickets, follow fantasy leagues or just want the best fields in the biggest events, this reshuffle hits you directly.
What happens next after Oosthuizen leaves LIV
The clock is loud. The players’ deadline to commit to LIV 2.0 is Sunday, Oct. 25, according to Yahoo. LIV’s attorney has told the court the league will know by the end of October. Then it will either go forward or wind down.
Meanwhile, the DP World Tour has moved to bar players from competing on both LIV 2.0 and the European circuit in 2027. LIV’s lawyer objected in court.
Charl Schwartzel is expected to decide before the end of this week. Rumors swirl about other departures, but none are confirmed.
When your captain, your best-known champion and a pile of freed stars are all heading for the exits, the question stops being who is leaving LIV. It becomes who is left to play.
