As LIV Golf prepares for its first tournament since news broke that it will no longer be sponsored by the Saudi PIF following this season, questions continue about what will happen to the league and its players.
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil spoke at length Tuesday at Trump National DC about the business plan, momentum and strategic changes going forward. Although, as Jon Rahm noted, O’Neil and other LIV executives “have a lot of hard work to do” to secure future funding.
Rahm said Tuesday that he has several years left on his contract. But as for LIV’s most valuable asset, Bryson DeChambeau? He only signed until the end of 2026. What he does next is one of the story lines, not just for LIV’s long-term health but for the future of the pro golf landscape.
He still has ideas if he doesn’t return to LIV or if a path back to the PGA Tour doesn’t pan out.
“I think, in my opinion, I’d like to grow my YouTube channel three times, maybe more,” DeChambeau told several outlets, including ESPN again SIon tuesday. His YouTube channel has 2.7 million subscribers. “I would like to. I would like to make a bunch of recordings in different languages, giving the world more reason to watch YouTube. Then I would like to play in the tournaments that I want.”
DeChambeau told them he is in talks with the PGA Tour but did not discuss what a return might look like.
Brooks Koepka moved from LIV to the PGA Tour earlier this year using the Returning Member Program but paid a hefty price to do so. DeChambeau — along with Rahm and Cameron Smith — also had a chance to return under those conditions but declined. A potential return to the PGA Tour will likely be different now, especially since DeChambeau, unlike Koepka, has been involved in a lawsuit against the Tour.
Although LIV’s future is uncertain, DeChambeau said the PGA Tour is “not doing well.”
“Let’s be honest about this situation,” he told reporters. “They have the media. They’re all on the side helping to enforce it. But they’re reducing the size of the arena, they’re reducing the staff and they’re restructuring their business.”
O’Neil was asked Tuesday how DeChambeau’s contract status (whether he has one or not) affects next year’s fundraising efforts.
“Well, that’s an interesting question,” she said. “I’m not sure. We’ll adjust and adjust. I appreciate the question. It’s just Bryson’s special. He’s unique and special. He wants to talk about a business partner, we’re literally talking about the future of LIV Golf, I talk to him about how he sees, not just golf, but the business. He’s smart, committed, driven, and collaborative.”
DeChambeau told GOLF.com that he sees LIV’s current uncertainty as an opportunity.
“Whenever a door closes, another one opens,” she said. “I don’t think that if a door closes, it’s closed forever. For us, this is an opportunity that we have in this country and around the world, freedom and opportunity to build businesses. If it’s reorganized in the right way, and people see the value of the golf club, and want to be a part of something special, I think there’s an opportunity there.”
