LIV Golf winner reveals the real reason stars avoid the league

LIV Golf winner Adrian Meronk explains why no star players signed for breakaway league.

LIV Golf is on the brink of liquidation after BC Partners pulled the rug on a $300 million rescue deal.

Adrian Meronk believes it is because the league failed to deliver an "exciting" proposal to players.

LIV bosses had hoped to rebuild after losing Saudi Arabian support and filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Private equity and credit firm BC Partners had agreed to refinance the league, provided it secured enough commitments from star players.

LIV failed in that mission.

BC Partners backed out of the deal ahead of a pivotal hearing at a New Jersey bankruptcy court on Thursday.

Judge Michael Kaplan is set to order liquidation of the league's assets.

It was a telling indictment that the league failed to secure commitments from some of its biggest advocates.

Those advocates include Bryson DeChambeau, Cam Smith and Dustin Johnson.

Meronk, a one-time winner on LIV, walked away after securing his DP World Tour future with a win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last month.

The Pole told Ben Parsons of Today's Golfer that CEO Scott O'Neil and his executives were unable to produce an attractive proposition for players.

LIV had proposed a 10-event schedule, but players were in the dark on key details.

The DP World Tour's decision to forbid its members from playing any LIV events next year also swayed the 33-year-old.

“It’s not really exciting to stay there,” Meronk said.

“It’s nothing really to look forward to.”

“There would be no world ranking points.”

“There would be only 10 tournaments.”

“And then if I was banned [on the DP World Tour] as well, it would be tough to get into majors.”

“And also no Ryder Cup.”

Meronk, who joined LIV in 2024 and won in Riyadh in January 2025, lamented the league's demise.

He relished life on the breakaway league.

But the mood instantly changed when it was confirmed in April that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund would stop bankrolling the league.

“I think the first two years were amazing,” he says.

“The best place to play golf, to be honest.”

“But the last season was a bit strange, obviously, with the news that we had about Saudis backing out.”

“Then everyone didn’t know what to expect.”

“It was a lot of unknowns.”

“The energy was a little bit strange, I would say, and that didn’t help my game.”

LIV Golf had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after losing its primary funding source.

The league had hoped BC Partners would provide a lifeline.

But the deal required commitments from top players.

Without those commitments, the deal collapsed.

Now the league faces liquidation.

Meronk's comments shed light on why the rescue failed.

Players needed a clear, compelling vision for the future.

They got uncertainty instead.

No world ranking points meant players could not qualify for major championships.

Only 10 tournaments meant limited competition and earning opportunities.

A ban from the DP World Tour would cut off access to the European-based circuit.

And no Ryder Cup meant missing golf's most prestigious team event.

For top professionals, these are deal-breakers.

The league's biggest stars — DeChambeau, Smith, Johnson — also declined to commit.

Their refusal signaled a lack of confidence in LIV's future.

Meronk himself chose to leave.

He secured his DP World Tour status with a win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

That gave him a path back to mainstream professional golf.

He no longer needed LIV.

The league's collapse has been swift.

Just two years ago, LIV Golf was the most disruptive force in the sport.

It lured stars with massive guaranteed contracts.

It offered a 54-hole, no-cut format with team competition.

It challenged the PGA Tour's dominance.

But the financial model was unsustainable.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund poured billions into the league.

When the fund pulled out, the league had no backup plan.

BC Partners emerged as a potential savior.

But the private equity firm demanded player commitments.

LIV could not deliver them.

Now the league is headed for liquidation.

The bankruptcy court in New Jersey will oversee the process.

Assets will be sold to repay creditors.

Players will find new homes on other tours.

Meronk's story is a cautionary tale.

He joined LIV at its peak.

He won in Riyadh in January 2025.

He believed in the league's promise.

But the promise evaporated.

“The first two years were amazing,” he said.

“But the last season was a bit strange.”

The unknowns became too many.

The energy turned strange.

And when the rescue deal required player commitments, no one stepped up.

Meronk now speaks openly about why.

The proposal was not exciting.

There was nothing to look forward to.

No world ranking points.

Only 10 tournaments.

A ban from the DP World Tour.

No Ryder Cup.

For any professional golfer, that is a losing proposition.

The question now is what happens to the players left behind.

Some may return to the PGA Tour.

Others may join the DP World Tour.

A few may retire.