Ian Poulter leaves LIV Golf and won't play in LIV 2.0

Ian Poulter is done with LIV Golf. The 50-year-old Englishman said on social media Friday that he won't be part of LIV Golf 2.0, the league's relaunch, and that he plans to focus on senior golf and spend more time with his family.

"Ultimately, the opportunity to spend more time at home with my family, reduce international travel, focus on senior golf and have the opportunity to pursue other interests was something that I felt was right for me at this stage of my life and career," Poulter wrote.

He was one of LIV's original faces. Poulter was among the first players to sign with the league and co-captained the Majesticks GC team with Lee Westwood, according to ESPN.

He also isn't the only one leaving. Two-time major champion Jon Rahm reached a separation agreement with LIV last week, ESPN reported, and Louis Oosthuizen, Charles Howell III, Thomas Pieters, David Puig, Abraham Ancer and Adrian Meronk have indicated they won't return.

The cost of the jump is still on the books for Poulter. He and Westwood paid their DP World Tour fines for playing LIV events, which the tour confirmed in June, and Poulter has said his came to about $1.1 million. He can return as a DP World Tour member in November. Earlier this month he made his first start on that tour in more than three years and missed the cut at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

The Ryder Cup door stays shut. A 2017 European tour rule says any golfer who gives up his membership can't serve as captain or vice captain, and a DP World Tour spokesperson told Golfweek in June that it applies even if Poulter and Westwood rejoin. Poulter went 15-8-2 across seven Ryder Cups and was once seen as a lock to captain Europe.

That is the debate this exit restarts. One of the best Ryder Cup players Europe has had is leaving LIV, paying his way back toward the tour, and still can't get the job he seemed built for. Whether Europe's rule bends for players coming back is the thing to watch next.

"Change is never easy," Poulter said, "and it's fair to say professional golf has experienced plenty of it over the last few years."