LIV Golf winner reveals the real reason stars refused to join.

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

The liquidation of LIV Golf’s assets is set to begin after the league’s potential savior, BC Partners, backed out of a rescue deal.

Adrian Meronk has underlined why players did not sign up.

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

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.

But that agreement came with a condition: LIV had to secure 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 names include Bryson DeChambeau, Cam Smith and Dustin Johnson.

Meronk, a one-time winner on LIV, walked away after securing his DP World Tour future.

He won 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 joined LIV in 2024.

He won in Riyadh in January 2025.

He 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.”

Chapter 11 bankruptcy is a form of bankruptcy that involves a reorganization of a debtor’s business affairs, debts, and assets.

It is named after Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.

Unlike Chapter 7, which involves liquidation of assets to pay creditors, Chapter 11 allows a company to stay in business and restructure its obligations.

But when a company files for Chapter 11 and cannot secure a reorganization plan, the court may convert the case to Chapter 7 or order liquidation.

That is what is happening to LIV Golf now.

LIV Golf launched in 2022 as a breakaway league funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

It attracted top players with enormous signing bonuses and prize purses.

Phil Mickelson reportedly received around $200 million to join.

Dustin Johnson signed for a reported $150 million.

Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka also took nine-figure deals.

The league disrupted the traditional golf ecosystem.

It prompted the PGA Tour to increase prize money and change its schedule.

It also led to a fractured professional golf landscape.

Players who joined LIV were banned from the PGA Tour.

The DP World Tour also imposed sanctions.

Those bans were challenged in court, with mixed results.

But the DP World Tour recently decided to forbid its members from playing any LIV events next year.

That decision directly affected Meronk’s thinking.

World ranking points are crucial for professional golfers.

They determine eligibility for major championships.

The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) stopped awarding points to LIV events in early 2024.

LIV applied for OWGR accreditation but was denied.

The OWGR board cited LIV’s limited field size and lack of a promotion-relegation system as reasons.

Without world ranking points, LIV players must rely on other pathways to enter majors.

Some, like Jon Rahm, had multi-year exemptions from past wins.

Others, like Meronk, faced a harder path.

The Ryder Cup is another major incentive for European players.

To qualify for the European team, players must be members of the DP World Tour.

LIV players who were banned from the DP World Tour became ineligible for Ryder Cup selection.

That was a deal-breaker for Meronk.

The liquidation hearing is scheduled for Thursday in New Jersey.

Judge Michael Kaplan will preside.

If he orders liquidation, LIV Golf’s assets — including its broadcast contracts, team franchises, and intellectual property — will be sold to pay creditors.