Si Woo Kim breaks silence amid shock LIV Golf rumours

PGA Tour star Si Woo Kim has broken his silence to shut down swirling rumours of a shock defection to LIV Golf, confirming he will remain on the PGA Tour for the 2026 season.

The South Korean star put days of speculation to rest with a decisive Instagram post —  a photo of him hoisting the Sony Open trophy alongside the caption: “Okay guys see you in @sonyopenhawaii.” 

His equipment sponsor Callaway Golf piled on moments later, sharing the iconic “I'm not f***ing leaving” meme from The Wolf of Wall Street.

Kim’s public declaration comes just 24 hours after reports linked him strongly to Kevin Na’s IronHeads GC. 

Talks between the two sides had been acknowledged by insider outlet Flushing It, fuelling belief that LIV Golf was close to landing one of its biggest Korean targets yet.

But on Thursday, leading Korean outlet Maeil Business Newspaper reported that Kim’s camp had officially shut the door. 

“Kim Si-woo finally expressed his intention to refuse and decided to remain on the PGA Tour,” a team member confirmed to the publication. 

The latest update delivers a blow to the Saudi-bankrolled LIV Golf League, who had been pushing aggressively to sign multiple Korean players in recent months.

Kim’s decision arrives during one of the most consistent stretches of his career. 

He ended the 2025 PGA Tour season with a T4 at the RSM Classic, then backed it up with a solo third at the Crown Australian Open — the second event of the 2026 DP World Tour schedule. 

Kim's year featured five worldwide top-10s and a rise from 60th to 47th in the OWGR.

He also delivered his best major performance to date with a T8 finish at the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

Kim’s career highlight remains his historic 2017 Players Championship victory, where he became the youngest winner in tournament history at just 21. 

His last win came at the 2023 Sony Open — fittingly, the event where he’ll launch his 2026 PGA Tour campaign.

Kim ranks 61st in all-time PGA Tour earnings with $30.9 million.