'It's Time To Move On' - Louis Oosthuizen Confirms LIV Golf Exit Before Impending Deadline

Former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen has confirmed he will not sign up to the next version of the LIV Golf League.

The deadline for players to make their minds up one way or the other is this coming Sunday (25th), at which time the picture will be made clear on whether 'LIV 2.0' is able to proceed at all.

In the preceding days and weeks, several big names such as Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann, Sergio Garcia, Abraham Ancer, Adrian Meronk and Cameron Smith have either already announced their intention to walk away or made key moves to set up an exit which has undoubtedly weakened the team-based circuit's plans.

The latest man to make his mind up was Oosthuizen, captain of the Southern Guards - formerly known as Stingers GC.

The South African is teeing it up at the Hong Kong Open on the Asian Tour, where the winner will clinch spots at The Masters and The Open.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post, the 2010 Open champion briefly explained his decision.

He said: “I need to arrange my own schedule and look after my body. I want to play near one spot for three weeks at a time, not have all the big travelling for one tournament. I loved LIV and the team aspect, but it’s time to move on.”

In addition, according to Flushing It on X, it was originally thought by LIV bosses that the full Southern Guards team would commit to the new-look league.

However, with Oosthuizen having seemingly bailed, it is expected Branden Grace and Dean Burmester will also depart, leaving only Charl Schwartzel to make up his mind before the end of the week.

LIV Golf was originally thrown into doubt back in April when the Saudi Arabian PIF announced it would be cutting funding to the league.

Since then, LIV scrambled to complete its 2026 season but lost two events along the way before applying for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Despite agreeing a deal with BC Partners for up to $300 million in funding, the deal can reportedly only proceed in full if enough players sign up for 2027 and beyond. At this stage, that appears increasingly unlikely.