Report: Si Woo Kim rejects LIV Golf move in shock U-turn

In a dramatic twist just 24 hours after reports suggested Si Woo Kim was on the verge of a shock defection to LIV Golf, the four-time PGA Tour winner has now reportedly shut down all conversations and committed his future to the PGA Tour.

Rumours had intensified on Wednesday that Kim was being lined up by Kevin Na’s IronHeads GC, with talks between the two camps confirmed by Flushing It. But despite strong interest from the Saudi-backed league, Kim has opted to stay exactly where he is. 

According to leading Korean outlet Maeil Business Newspaper, a member of Kim’s camp confirmed the 30-year-old has officially rejected a 2026 move to LIV Golf.

"It is true that Kim Si-woo, like many Korean players, has been offered a recruitment. However, Kim Si-woo finally expressed his intention to refuse and decided to remain on the PGA Tour," a member of Si Woo Kim's team confirmed to the publication.

The news comes as a significant blow to LIV Golf, who had reportedly been confident of securing Kim as one of several high-profile Korean signings targeted in recent months. 

Kim’s choice to remain on the PGA Tour follows one of his most consistent stretches of form in recent years.

The South Korean closed out 2025 superbly, finishing tied fourth at the RSM Classic — the season finale — before taking solo third at last week's Crown Australian Open, the second event of the 2026 DP World Tour schedule. 

It marked another positive step in a year that included five worldwide top-10 finishes and a rise from 60th to 47th in the OWGR.

Kim also enjoyed his best-ever major performance in 2025, finishing tied eighth at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. 

But despite 34 major starts, that remains his only top-10 finish. 

Kim's career highlight remains his breakthrough victory at The Players Championship in 2017, becoming the tournament's youngest-ever champion at just 21 years old. 

His most recent win came at the 2023 Sony Open in Hawaii.

Kim ranks 61st in all-time PGA Tour career earnings with $30,898,241.

While LIV Golf’s pursuit was real, Kim has ultimately decided the PGA Tour remains the best place for him.

Given his improving form, rising world ranking, and established status as one of Asia’s leading players, keeping Kim represents a meaningful retention for the PGA Tour at a time when LIV continues to aggressively court international talent.

With the uncertainty now put to bed, Kim will turn his full attention toward building on his late-2025 momentum — and potentially chasing that long-awaited fifth PGA Tour title.