Kim Si-woo again shoots down LIV Golf rumours

SEOUL – Kim Si-woo has denied a rumoured move to LIV Golf for the second time in December.

The 30-year-old committed to January’s Sony Open in Hawaii, but an official close to Kim did acknowledge that his client was one of “many” South Korean players to be offered contracts by the Saudi-backed league.

“It is true that Kim Si-woo, like many Korean players, has been offered a recruitment,” the official told South Korea’s Maeil Business Newspaper on Dec 11. “However, Kim Si-woo finally expressed his intention to refuse and decided to remain on the PGA Tour.”

Flushing It reported over the weekend that discussions had remained ongoing, prompting Kim to take to social media to address the rumours.

“I will be playing on PGA Tour,” he posted on his Instagram story.

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil told Golf.com that South Korea is an important market for future growth, and the league has also filed a trademark for the team name “Becko East GC”. Becko, formally spelled Baekho in Korean, means “white tiger”, which is a popular symbol in Korean mythology.

Kim’s countryman Im Sung-jae also took to social media earlier in December to refute a potential move, while long-time PGA Tour veteran An Byeong-hun is also believed to have received interest.

Kim is a former Players Championship winner who also won the Sony Open in 2023 and is currently ranked 47th in the world. LIV Golf’s first event of 2026 does not take place until three weeks after the Sony Open, so Kim’s commitment to the event does not completely rule out a late switch.

LIV must complete its rosters for the new season by Feb 4.

So far this off-season, the league has added French journeyman Victor Perez and brought back England’s Laurie Canter, while Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe and Yosuke Asaji of Japan earned spots via the International Series standings.

Flushing It reported that American Max Greyserman has been offered a contract to replace Ben Campbell on Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats team, although it is unknown if the world No. 32 will make the move.

Meanwhile, Mito Pereira, who came close to winning the 2022 PGA Championship before leaving the PGA Tour for LIV, is retiring from golf at age 30, he announced on Dec 22. He was relegated from LIV Golf at the conclusion of the 2025 season.

The Chilean released a statement through his former LIV team, Torque GC.

“After many years connected to this beautiful sport, priorities naturally evolve. Today, my main desire is to step away from constant travel, return to Chile, and focus on my personal life,” Pereira said.
REUTERS