Morning Edition

September 9, 2026

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LIV Golf filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday—an expected step as it tries to fill the gap left when the Saudi PIF ended the league’s funding. LIV says it’s “in advanced discussions” with players about how to proceed and intends to resume competition next year but has yet to announce any tournament dates.

—David Rumsey

First Up

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua remains eligible to play Thursday night against the 49ers as the NFL considers disciplining him for his off-field behavior.
The head of the Australian Open suggested shortening men’s Grand Slam matches to avoid late starts like those in the US Open’s early rounds.
The Mid-American Conference appealed the result of Western Michigan’s game against Michigan after the Broncos lost on a last-second call.
Baker Mayfield agreed to a $165 million contract extension with the Buccaneers, months after saying he was disappointed by the team’s offers.

LIV Files for Bankruptcy As Fight for Survival Continues

Jerod Ringwald-Imagn Images

LIV Golf filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday—an expected step in the league’s fight for survival after the Saudi PIF decided to end its funding this year.

LIV is voluntarily entering a court-supervised Chapter 11 restructuring process in the New Jersey District U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The move comes alongside the announcement of a restructuring support agreement with BC Partners Credit, the London- and New York-based firm that is exploring a “recapitalization transaction” with LIV.

The bankruptcy and corporate restructuring are intended to preserve LIV’s existence as the league attempts to transition to a new ownership model in which players are majority equity holders. LIV “remains in advanced discussions” with players about next steps, according to Tuesday’s announcement.

LIV advisor Gene Davis, chairman of an independent board of directors that was created after the PIF announced its exit, said LIV “reviewed all available options and believe today’s actions reflect the most responsible path forward for the League and its stakeholders.” LIV CEO Scott O’Neil said, “This process gives us the structure and time to pursue a landmark transaction and begin the next chapter of LIV Golf.”

LIV’s proposed transaction with BC Partners remains subject to court and stakeholder approval.

Money Matters

The PIF has agreed to provide $49.6 million in debtor-in-possession financing so LIV can continue operating during the bankruptcy process. However, that’s not even 10% of what LIV estimates its liabilities to be—between $500 million and $1 billion, according to the filing; LIV estimates its assets are worth between $100 million and $500 million.

BC Partners is expected to provide exit financing, according to LIV, which is also seeking recognition of the U.S. Chapter 11 proceedings in England and Wales “to preserve the value of its international assets and operations.”

LIV’s bankruptcy filing included a list of creditors with the 30 largest unsecured claims who are not insiders. This is money that is past due and does not include what some players could be owed from years remaining on their contracts.

Jon Rahm is currently owed the most money among unsecured claims from creditors, $7.47 million, as part of a player participation agreement. However, Rahm is reportedly still owed more than $100 million from the nine-figure contract he signed ahead of LIV’s 2024 season.

Here are the 10 players currently owed the most money, per the filing:

Jon Rahm: $7.47 million
Bryson DeChambeau: $5.77 million
Dustin Johnson: $5.49 million
Cam Smith: $4.83 million
Adrian Meronk: $4.43 million
Tyrrell Hatton: $3.37 million
Bubba Watson: $3.32 million
Abe Ancer: $2.65 million
Byeong Hun An: $1.81 million
Brooks Koepka: $1.68 million

IMG Media is the vendor owed the most money, $3.2 million. Other non-players listed include: GSE Worldwide, which is DeChambeau’s agency ($1.28 million); golf influencer Rich Shiels ($1.39 million); the state of Louisiana ($1.22 million); and Fresh Tape Media ($1.2 million), which has sued LIV over unpaid invoices.

LIV’s Future

LIV also revealed new details about its plans for a “2.0” version of the league in 2027.

The league intends to expand its field sizes to 75 players per event, up from roughly 57 this past season, and add Monday qualifiers to create new player pathways onto the circuit. The goal is to play events across five continents in places like Australia, South Africa, Mexico, England, Hong Kong, and the U.S.

LIV intends to resume competition next year, but no definitive decisions regarding the 2027 schedule or individual events have been announced.

Drew Weatherford on the Sports Investment Continuum

Former FSU quarterback Drew Weatherford is now betting on the parts of the sports economy he believes are still underpenetrated by private capital.

On Portfolio Players, presented by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley, Weatherford discusses his strategy across youth, college and professional sports, including its partnership with the Big 12, investment in the USL and his stake in the Tampa Bay Rays.

Weatherford also shares his outlook on youth sports streaming, the U.S. soccer market and his transition from FSU quarterback to institutional investor.

Watch now.

ONE BIG FIG

Phil Jackson Gets Another Lakers Honor

Reuters/Danny Moloshok

610

That’s the number of wins Phil Jackson amassed as Lakers head coach from 1999 through 2011, the most in team history. The team announced Tuesday that it will unveil a statue of Jackson outside Crypto.com Arena during the second half of the season. Jackson won five NBA championships with Los Angeles and never missed the postseason. Before that, he led the Michael Jordan-era Bulls to six NBA titles.

The Lakers have the most statues of former players at their arena of any team. Jackson’s statue will join those of other Lakers legends Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Pat Riley, Shaquille O’Neal, Elgin Baylor, and Kobe Bryant.

DAILY SPORTS TRIVIA

Can you rank the top five NFL running backs by most rushing yards in a single game?

LOUD AND CLEAR

Soft on Kawhi?

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“If this whole thing feels like a giant whitewash to you, you’re not alone.”

—NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar referring to the punishment the NBA handed down to Kawhi Leonard for his role in an alleged scheme to circumvent the league’s salary cap. Last week, the league handed down bans to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and several team executives, fined Los Angeles $30 million, and took away five first-round draft picks. Leonard was fined $700,000. The punishment followed a yearlong league investigation that found the team set Leonard up with no-show endorsement deals with several companies to pay him off the books. After the decision, Leonard wrote, “I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family.”

In a post Tuesday to his Substack, Abdul-Jabbar, who won five of his six NBA titles at the crosstown Lakers, turned his focus on Leonard: “How exactly do you ‘accept full responsibility’ while still blaming the whole thing on ‘people within my inner circle?’ Leonard signed contracts with all those companies that were paying him money he wasn’t allowed.” He went on to speculate why Leonard’s punishment was relatively light: “What it comes down to is that the League seems to have negotiated with the players’ union to give Kawhi a slap on the wrist in exchange for the union not taking the case to arbitration.”