LIV Golf is bankrupt, and rather than sticking around for LIV 2.0 for far less money, players are jumping ship.

Golfers were expected to leave the tour this fall because of growing uncertainty about LIV’s future, but how many was unknown. The reality has been a worst-case scenario for the breakaway golf league.

Jon Rahm left, which was expected. The three-time individual champion has been set on returning to the DP World Tour for months. But with him went Joaquin Niemann and Sergio Garcia, and even Cameron Smith is weighing his options. 

The PGA Tour and the DP World Tour now face the conundrum of what to do with these players. DP World Tour players are already expressing frustration that these players are returning to the tour unpunished, taking spots from other members.

When LIV Golf was first created, Gary Player shared his honest thoughts on what the future holds for these players.

Gary Player said LIV golfers ‘can’t have your cake and eat it’

When LIV Golf launched in 2022, Player was mostly supportive of players signing for eye-watering sums of money. He said people have the right to put their families first, but he also admitted these players couldn’t have it both ways.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Player said, “Remember this, the players who are playing there now, they need the money. They’ve got families and I don’t blame them for playing there. There’s not a lot of them who can win on the regular tour anymore, so they are wisely taking the money.”

“There is a place in the sun for both tours. I just hope they settle everything in an amicable way and we go from strength to strength because golf is a passport to the world.”

But when asked if he believed players should be allowed to play on the PGA Tour, the nine-time major winner responded, “If they so desire to play the LIV tour which is their choice and their freedom… freedom is on the wane around the world, so they still have their freedom to choose and we should be grateful for that.

How costly has Jon Rahm's decision to join LIV Golf been for his career?

His lawyer has announced he will not be involved with LIV 2.0

“But…you can’t have both tours, you can’t do that, it’s not going to be allowed according to the rules, as far as I know.”

“I’d like the people that are playing this tour just to be open and say, ‘Look, I’m playing here because I want to make some money, I have a family’. There’s no disgrace in that. But you can’t have your cake and eat it.”

As players leave LIV Golf, the PGA Tour has stood firm. CEO Brian Rolapp said no discussions are underway to allow players like Rahm to negotiate their way back. They’ll all have to serve their one-year suspension, spending a year on the DP World Tour.

And gradually, more and more players are admitting they moved for the money. Graeme McDowell said he wished he had said that all along. Four years later, and Player’s initial opinion on LIV Golf has aged exceptionally well.