Golf-Poulter confirms LIV Golf exit to focus on senior golf and family

Ian Poulter tees off on hole one during the second round go the LIV Golf Indianapolis golf tournament at The Club at Chatham Hills, Westfield, Indiana, USA on Aug 21, 2026. Jerod Ringwald-Imagn Images

Oct 23 (Reuters) - England's Ian Poulter ⁠is the latest player to leave LIV Golf, saying he will not be ⁠part of the proposed 2.0 relaunch as he looks to focus on ‌senior golf and spend more time with family.

Poulter's announcement comes days after former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen said he was moving on from the breakaway circuit, whose future remains uncertain.

Former world number one Jon Rahm ​is also among those quitting LIV, which is fighting ⁠to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy ⁠after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund said in April it was cutting funding.

LIV has secured ⁠investment ‌from BC Partners Credit and is set to make a decision this month on whether it winds down or moves forward with a 2.0 model.

"I have ⁠decided to not move forward with being part of LIV ​2.0," Poulter said in ‌a lengthy post on X.

"Needless to say, it was a tough decision and ⁠one I thought ​about and discussed at length with my family and team."

The 50-year-old, a five-times Ryder Cup winner, did not win an individual or team title during his time with LIV but boasts 17 ⁠professional victories, including three on the PGA Tour.

"Ultimately, the ​opportunity to spend more time at home with my family, reduce international travel, focus on senior golf and have the opportunity to pursue other interests was something that I felt ⁠was right for me at this stage of my life and career," Poulter said.

He was part ofLIV's inaugural event in June 2022 and later became one of the leaders of Majesticks GC alongside Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson.

Poulter was among a group of established ​stars who accepted lucrative contracts to join the breakaway circuit ⁠from the traditional tours and was a vocal defender of the move.

“Change is never easy and ​it's fair to say professional golf has experienced plenty ‌of it over the last few years," ​Poulter said. "But I've always believed that change can create opportunity and ultimately lead to positive outcomes."

(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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2026年8月21日，伊恩·保尔特在美国印第安纳州韦斯特菲尔德查塔姆山俱乐部举行的LIV高尔夫印第安纳波利斯锦标赛第二轮比赛中，于第一洞开球。图片来源：Jerod Ringwald-Imagn Images

10 月 23 日（路透社）——英格兰球手伊恩·保尔特是最新一位离开 LIV Golf 的球员，他表示自己不会参与 LIV Golf 的 2.0 版本重启计划，因为他希望专注于老年高尔夫，并花更多时间陪伴家人。

保尔特宣布这一消息的几天前，前英国公开赛冠军路易·乌修仁表示他将退出独立巡回赛，该巡回赛的未来仍然不明朗。

前世界排名第一的琼·拉姆也加入了退出 LIV 的行列。LIV 正在努力摆脱破产保护，此前沙特阿拉伯公共投资基金在 4 月份宣布将削减资金。

LIV 已获得 BC Partners Credit 的投资，并将于本月决定是结束运营还是继续推进 2.0 模式。

“我已决定不再参与 LIV 2.0 项目，”保尔特在 X 网站上发表的一篇长文中写道。

“毋庸置疑，这是一个艰难的决定，我对此进行了长时间的思考，并与我的家人和团队进行了深入的讨论。”

这位 50 岁的球员曾五次获得莱德杯冠军，在效力 LIV 期间没有赢得过个人或团体冠军，但他拥有 17 个职业冠军头衔，其中包括 PGA 巡回赛的 3 个冠军头衔。

“最终，我觉得在我人生和职业生涯的这个阶段，能够有更多时间陪伴家人，减少国际旅行，专注于老年高尔夫，并有机会追求其他兴趣，这对我来说是正确的选择，”保尔特说。

他参加了 LIV 于 2022 年 6 月举办的首届赛事，后来与 Lee Westwood 和 Henrik Stenson 一起成为 Majesticks GC 的领军人物之一。

波尔特是众多接受高薪合同加入脱离传统巡回赛的成名球星之一，并且他也是这一举动的积极捍卫者。

“改变从来都不容易，公平地说，职业高尔夫在过去几年里经历了太多改变，”保尔特说。“但我始终相信，改变能够创造机遇，并最终带来积极的结果。”

（卡兰·普拉尚特·萨克塞纳在班加罗尔报道；肯·费里斯编辑）

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