Dustin Johnson-Led LIV Group Seeks $100 Million Severance

By Staff Writer

October 26, 2026

2 min read

Dustin Johnson, who is leading the player group's push for severance payments from LIV's original backers.

JazzyJoeyD / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Key takeaways

A group of LIV Golf players led by Dustin Johnson is seeking more than $100 million in severance payments from the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
The claim surfaced in a New York Times report just before Sunday's deadline for players to commit to the BC Partners-backed LIV 2.0.
That deadline, already described as flexible, is now expected to be pushed back.
Bryson DeChambeau is among LIV's largest creditors but is not part of Johnson's group.
The Financial Times reports 15 players have tentatively committed to LIV 2.0.

A group of LIV Golf players led by Dustin Johnson is pressing the Saudi Public Investment Fund for more than $100 million in severance payments, according to a New York Times report published just ahead of Sunday's deadline for players to commit to LIV 2.0. The claim adds a financial complication to a relaunch that was already struggling to lock down a roster.

Who is involved in the severance claim?

The group is represented by attorney David Cornwell and reportedly includes Bubba Watson and Thomas Detry, a former teammate of Johnson's on the 4Aces team. Cornwell told the Times that the PIF's handling of the dispute could set a precedent beyond golf.

How you do one thing is usually how you do everything.

That deadline for commitments to the new, BC Partners-backed version of the league was already considered flexible, and it is now expected to be extended further while the severance question is unresolved.

Why does LIV still owe so much money?

Bankruptcy filings made public earlier in the week show LIV executives collected more than $15 million after the PIF withdrew its funding and before the league formally filed for bankruptcy, while vendors, broadcasters and players further down the list have gone unpaid. The Times reported the PIF has offered "two cents on the dollar" against the $100 million figure sought.

The dispute comes amid a wave of departures from the league's first iteration. Jon Rahm, LIV's top-ranked player, along with Tyrrell Hatton, Ian Poulter, Louis Oosthuizen, David Puig, Charles Howell III, Lucas Herbert, Abraham Ancer and Thomas Pieters have all said they won't return. Against that, the Financial Times reports 15 players have tentatively committed to LIV 2.0.

DeChambeau, who previously said he wants to stay with LIV, is among the league's largest creditors but has not joined Johnson's group and has not commented publicly on the matter recently. Cornwell said how the PIF handles LIV 1.0's wind-down will shape whether the player group is willing to release its claims and let the new league move forward.