Report: LIV Golf hit by another exit as Dustin Johnson's teammate quits

Thomas Pieters has become the latest player to confirm he will not be part of LIV Golf 2.0, according to a report. 

Per FlushingIt, the big Belgian has decided he doesn't want any part of LIV's new era.

Pieters, 34, joined the breakaway tour in February 2023 for a reported $10m fee and was initially part of Bubba Watson's RangeGoats before he was transferred to Dustin Johnson's 4Aces. 

Although he never won an individual title, Pieters racked up $25m in prize money. 

Pieters, who has been open in the past about not enjoying life on the PGA Tour, hopes to compete on the DP World Tour full-time in 2027. 

It means he becomes the latest player publicly state they will leave LIV Golf, following in the footsteps of two-time major champion Jon Rahm and his compatriot David Puig. 

Rahm reached a separation agreement with LIV in their latest bankruptcy hearing. 

Recent Alfred Dunhill Links champion Adrian Meronk and Joaquin Niemann's teammate, Abraham Ancer, have also stated they won't be teeing it up with LIV Golf in 2027 if the embattled league survives. 

Crucially for Pieters, it clears the way for the golfer to try and qualify for the European Ryder Cup team in 2027.

He made his debut for Team Europe in 2016 and, although the United States won the 41st edition of the biennial clash 17-11, Pieters impressed by winning four points from his five matches. 

In July, Pieters expressed hope that LIV would survive when he spoke to Today's Golfer. 

He stressed that in the event the league folded he would attempt to earn his place back on the DP World Tour through qualifying school. 

"I'm going to try and get invites, but I don't want to get a freebie or something," he told the publication.

"I want to earn my way back because I don’t want anybody on the DP World Tour to say, 'Oh, he's getting his status back.' 

"I want to do it the proper way if I go back. There's still golf in me."

He added: "I still think I can compete with the best, but I've got to prove a lot of things before I can do that, before I get back into majors.

"If LIV doesn't exist, I have to prove my way back on the tour. 

"I have to prove that I can win and then go on to majors. It's kind of the consequences, right? 

"We all came here for a reason, and if it doesn't exist anymore, then it's life."

LIV Golf is currently going through a restructuring process via a court-supervised Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 

A recent report from the Financial Times revealed LIV hopes to emerge from the ashes with a 17-event schedule in 2027. 

Rob Fitzgerald, the attorney representing LIV Golf, told judge Michael Kaplan on Wednesday that it is hoped the league will know by 25 October if the league have enough players committed to survive. 

Fitzgerald also raised anti-competitive concerns with the DP World Tour. 

The European-based circuit has made the decision to ban any LIV player in 2027. 

The DP World Tour declined to comment on Fitzgerald's statement, but CEO Guy Kinnings, told BBC Sport on Monday that "players need to make a choice".