Louis Oosthuizen leaves LIV Golf and plans 2027 DP World Tour return

Louis Oosthuizen has left LIV Golf and plans to return to the DP World Tour in 2027, BBC Sport reported. The 44-year-old South African, who won the Open Championship in 2010, said he wanted greater control over his playing schedule as he looks to extend his career at the top level.

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Oosthuizen joined LIV in 2022 and captained Southern Guards GC. In a social media statement reported by the BBC, he described leaving as an exceptionally difficult career decision while making clear that he remained a supporter of team golf. His explanation centred on how much competitive golf he believes he still has ahead of him and how best to organise it.

The former world number four said the schedule proposed for LIV's next phase would be difficult for him to manage. He believes a programme he can control would give him the best chance of remaining sharp and competitive for several more years. His planned return to the DP World Tour follows a career that includes 11 victories on that circuit and runner-up finishes in each of the three majors other than the Open.

His departure comes during a period of financial upheaval for LIV. According to BBC Sport, the league sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States in September after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund ended its multibillion-dollar support. LIV has secured possible financing of $300 million from BC Partners Credit as it attempts to proceed with a 2027 season.

Oosthuizen is the latest in a series of players to announce their exits. Thomas Pieters, Sergio Garcia, Abraham Ancer, David Puig and Adrian Meronk have also said they are leaving. Two-time major champion Jon Rahm reached a separation agreement with the league last week, the BBC reported.

The DP World Tour's membership rules also form part of the backdrop to those decisions. Chief executive Guy Kinnings told BBC Sport earlier this month that golfers who remain with LIV would not be permitted to hold membership of the European tour next season. Oosthuizen has outlined his intention to return, with control of his own schedule central to the move.