LIV Golf: Johnson Group Demands Over $100 Million from PIF

A group of more than ten LIV players, led by Dustin Johnson, is demanding payment from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) under their contracts. This was reported by The Athletic on Sunday, October 25, 2026. According to the report, the outstanding claims total more than $100 million. In addition to two-time major champion Johnson, the group includes two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and Belgian Thomas Detry. According to information from The Athletic and The New York Times, the PIF initially offered two cents per dollar of the outstanding amounts.

Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson vs. the PIF: What the Group Is Demanding

The group is represented by David Cornwell, Johnson’s longtime attorney. Their goal is to secure a settlement as part of the winding down of the old LIV structures. The identities of the other members of the group have not yet been disclosed. Detry previously played alongside Johnson on Team 4Aces in LIV. According to a person familiar with the matter, none of the players is expected to sign the restructuring agreement between LIV and the financial investor BC Partners in its current form.

The group went public shortly before the deadline on Sunday, October 25. Players were originally supposed to commit to LIV 2.0 by then, but BC Partners has extended the deadline until the end of the month. According to a source familiar with the matter, the fund views itself as an investor that has suspended its investments and is not in talks with the players or their attorneys. No official statement has been issued by the PIF.

Bryson DeChambeau is not part of Johnson’s group. He is leading his own group of players in the bankruptcy proceedings and is one of LIV’s largest creditors. He has not yet decided whether he will continue with LIV 2.0.

Cornwell: “The PIF was an honorable business partner”

The players argue that they made decisions that fundamentally changed their careers based on repeated assurances from the PIF. “The PIF was an honorable business partner—until what we view as its break with the LIV golfers,” Cornwell told The Athletic. According to GolfMagic, Cornwell also said the group is seeking a reasonable settlement as part of the LIV resolution based on those assurances.

Speaking to The New York Times, Cornwell took a principled stance. “The way you handle one thing is usually how you handle everything,” he said. He continued: “The way the PIF treats the LIV golfers could be a sign of how it will treat professional athletes in other sports.”

The demand takes on added significance due to the payments made to senior management. As reported by The Athletic and the AP news agency, seven executives received retention bonuses totaling more than $15.6 million prior to the bankruptcy filing. CEO Scott O’Neil alone received $6.375 million.

From the PIF’s withdrawal to LIV 2.0: How it came to this

The PIF had financed LIV Golf since its launch in 2022 as a competitor to the PGA Tour; Johnson and Watson were among the first high-profile signings. In April 2026, the fund ceased financing; in September, LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The players are among the league’s largest unsecured creditors. Their claims are to be settled through the court.

BC Partners Credit is set to back the relaunch. The plan calls for financing of up to $300 million; the players are to hold a majority stake in the league and become co-owners of LIV Golf and its teams. Ten tournaments are planned for 2027—five in the U.S. and five internationally. The PIF’s investments will end after 2026. “It is just as important to us that the players who make up this league have a stake in what they are helping to build,” said Ted Goldthorpe of BC Partners Credit on October 6, as reported by GolfMagic.

For Johnson’s group, the catch lies in the fine print: According to Cornwell, anyone who signs with LIV 2.0 waives any potential claims against the PIF. The deadline for commitments had already been pushed back from October 13 to October 25. BC Partners will decide independently whether enough players have committed.

Departures from LIV: Rahm, Hatton, and Poulter Are Gone

While Johnson and Watson are fighting for their money, others have already left LIV. When he parted ways with the organization, Jon Rahm forfeited millions to which he would have been entitled. Sergio Garcia took the matter to court and was released from his contract. Also gone or leaving are Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin, Louis Oosthuizen, David Puig, Adrian Meronk, Abraham Ancer, and Lucas Herbert, as well as Thomas Pieters and Charles Howell III. Ian Poulter announced his departure on October 23 on X.

Richard Bland, Ben Campbell, Brendan Steele, and Cameron Tringale have publicly announced their participation in LIV 2.0. According to the Financial Times and USA Today, about 15 players have tentatively committed.

Decision on LIV 2.0 by the End of October

As of Monday, October 26, it was not known whether BC Partners would extend the October 25 deadline. LIV’s attorneys indicated that a decision on whether LIV 2.0 would launch or the league would be shut down would be made by the end of October. Cornwell made it clear that his clients’ decision depends largely on how the PIF handles the settlement. Meanwhile, Tyrrell Hatton is already planning his next tournament: In early November, he will compete in the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship on the DP World Tour.