Si Woo Kim has denied a rumored move to LIV Golf for the second time this month.
Kim, 30, committed to next month’s Sony Open in Hawaii, but an official close to Kim did acknowledge that his client was one of “many” 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 rumors.
“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 Sungjae Im also took to social media earlier this month to refute a potential move, while longtime PGA Tour veteran Byeong-hun An is also believed to have received interest.
Kim is a former Players champion who also won the Sony Open in 2023 and is currently ranked 47th in the world. LIV Golf’s first event of 2026 doesn’t take place until three weeks after the Sony Open, so Kim’s commitment to the event doesn’t completely rule out a late switch.
LIV must complete its rosters for the 2026 season by Feb. 4.
So far this offseason, the league has added French journeyman Victory 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’s No. 32-ranked player will make the move.
–Field Level Media
