As we near the LIV Golf deadline for 2027 player commitments, another major champion has announced he’s leaving the league.
In a message posted on his social media channels, Graeme McDowell said he would not “pursue LIV 2.0,” the moniker for the new-look LIV that CEO Scott O’Neil is working hard to create.
McDowell isn’t the biggest name or best player to exit LIV this year, but his status as a major champion made him a big signing in 2022 and an equally big loss for the future.
Graeme McDowell leaves LIV: ‘I’ve decided not to pursue LIV 2.0.’
McDowell, 47, was a major signing for LIV Golf at its inception. He was a four-time PGA Tour winner, the 2010 U.S. Open champion and had been a key part of European Ryder Cup teams.
His personal career accomplishments added legitimacy to the league when it was just getting started.
But McDowell’s LIV Golf career has now come to an end.
“I’ve decided not to pursue LIV 2.0. I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had over the last four years and want to thank everyone who has been part of that journey,” McDowell wrote in a social post on Monday.
He closed out his brief message by writing, “I look forward to the next chapter in my career.”
McDowell previously told the BBC that he planned to play some DP World Tour events in 2027 no matter what happens with LIV Golf.
“Regardless of whether LIV Golf can find a solution to continue, I’ll play as a European Tour player in some way, shape or form next season, assuming the Tour still want me and we can figure that relationship out,” McDowell told the BBC in July.
But in early October, the DP World Tour announced that players who signed up for LIV 2.0 would be banned from its events. That forced McDowell and many other players considering playing both tours in 2027 to decide between the two.
McDowell joins growing list of LIV departures
McDowell is not the first LIV player to choose the DP World Tour over LIV 2.0 in recent weeks. Former European Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter announced last week that he was leaving LIV Golf.
Poulter’s decision came days after 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen revealed he would not be playing on LIV in 2027.
Even before the DP World Tour’s LIV ban was announced, two-time major winner and back-to-back-to-back LIV individual champion Jon Rahm made it known that he was also leaving the upstart league.
Major winners Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed departed before the 2026 LIV season began.
Sergio Garcia, another major champion and former European Ryder Cup stalwart, terminated his LIV contract in court and could also pursue a return to the DP World Tour.
Another group of LIV players led by two-time major champion Dustin Johnson is reportedly negotiating with the PIF for $100 million in “severance payments” related to the first iteration of LIV.
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