Rick Shiels filed a $7 million claim against LIV Golf in the league’s bankruptcy case. Eight days later, he withdrew it.
Shiels’ company, Rick Shiels Media Limited, filed a claim for $7,040,700 against LIV Golf Incorporated on Oct. 13. It was claim No. 21 in LIV’s Chapter 11 case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, with the creditor listed in care of the law firm Baker & Hostetler in New York.
On Oct. 20, a withdrawal form signed by Scott E. Prince asked the claims agent to remove the claim from the register. The form does not give a reason or say what the $7 million covered.
The claim was separate from the money LIV already lists as owed to Shiels. When LIV filed for Chapter 11 on Sept. 8, its list of the 30 largest unsecured creditors ranked Rick Shiels Media 16th. The league listed $1,398,300 owed under a brand partnership agreement.
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That figure put Shiels ahead of several LIV players on the creditor list, including Joaquin Niemann and Caleb Surratt. Jon Rahm topped the list at $7.4 million, and Brooks Koepka, who left the league before the filing, was owed about $1.68 million. The withdrawn claim was roughly five times the amount LIV listed for Shiels.
Shiels’ partnership with LIV was announced on Jan. 24, 2025. The multi-year deal made him the league’s first official content creator partner, with access to its players, teams and courses.
Under the deal, Shiels committed to attending all 14 LIV events in 2025. His content plans included bringing back his “Break 75” series, along with scrambles and matches featuring LIV players. His first video with the league featured Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau.
The partnership also included TotShots, a recreational golf program for children ages 3 to 5. LIV committed $50,000 a year to the program.
“Partnering with LIV Golf provides an incredible opportunity to take my content to the next level,” Shiels said in a statement when the deal was announced.
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The deal drew backlash from fans, much of it tied to LIV’s funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Shiels lost thousands of subscribers, and some fans pointed to his past criticism of the league on his videos and podcasts.
Shiels addressed the reaction in a May 2025 interview with Golf Monthly. He said he went into the agreement expecting “some kickback and some negativity around it.”
His channel kept growing. Earlier this year, Shiels’ main YouTube channel passed 1 billion views, a first for a golf creator.
The withdrawn claim comes as LIV works to finalize its restructuring. Jon Rahm agreed to give up his claims against the league in exchange for the name and image rights tied to his team. Ian Poulter, Tyrrell Hatton and Sergio Garcia are among the players who have since moved on.
Shiels is not the only commercial partner in the case. Salesforce filed a motion on Oct. 29 to end its LIV sponsorship, a $6.75 million-a-year deal set to run through 2029.
LIV’s filing listed assets between $100 million and $500 million against liabilities between $500 million and $1 billion. BC Partners Credit has agreed to invest up to $300 million in a restructured LIV 2.0 if enough players commit.
The Public Investment Fund, LIV’s sole lender, set an Oct. 30 deadline for a deal before moving to wind down the league. A LIV attorney told the bankruptcy court earlier this month that the league would know by the end of October whether it will wind down or move forward with LIV 2.0.
