Bryson DeChambeau wants LIV Golf to live on beyond this season and he’s trying to help the cause by pushing back against speculation he’s looking to leave when his contract is up after 2026.
LIV Golf’s biggest star indicated he isn’t ready to simply rejoin the PGA Tour following recent reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund would no longer be funding LIV Golf and the enterprise could fold after its 2026 season. DeChambeau downplayed those concerns in an interview with Flushing It Golf published on Tuesday, April 22, and insisted he remains committed to LIV Golf’s mission in the midst of ongoing negotiations to stay with LIV Golf after this year.
Advertisement
“We’re still working on a potential contract. I haven’t given up on that and I think there will be a solution,” DeChambeau said. “But as of right now, my job is to help make the league work after this year. I just feel like I have a responsibility. I’ve put a lot of effort into it. So that’s what I’m going to do. We’re going to make this work.”
Report: Bryson DeChambeau exploring options if he chooses to leave LIV
When asked what happens if he and LIV Golf can’t come to terms on a new contract, DeChambeau insisted, “as long as LIV is here, I would figure out a way for it to make sense.”
That vote of confidence from DeChambeau comes with LIV Golf in a precarious position in the middle of its 2026 season. Rumors surfaced ahead of last week’s Mexico City event, suggesting LIV Golf could shut down imminently with the Saudi sovereign wealth fund expected to pull its funding. But LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil later wrote in an email to employees that the 2026 season would go on “as planned, uninterrupted and at full throttle.”
Advertisement
The Athletic previously reported that DeChambeau and his advisors spent time during Masters week meeting with organizations that could be options for him should he choose to leave LIV Golf.
DeChambeau could have returned to the PGA Tour earlier this year through the same Returning Member Program being used by Brooks Koepka this season. PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has indicated the program would be a one-time opportunity and its deadline passed in February.
If DeChambeau were to try to come back to the PGA Tour based on the current rules and regulations, he would be eligible for reinstatement under its past champion category. That’s the pathway currently being utilized by Patrick Reed, who isn’t eligible to compete as a PGA Tour non-member until August due to his participation with LIV Golf.
DeChambeau, however, emphasized he feels an obligation to do everything he can to make sure LIV Golf endures past 2026. He cited the tour’s younger players, like recent NCAA champions Michael La Sasso and Josele Ballester, and its team concept for his belief. LIV Golf competitors Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter were among those to send out messages in support of DeChambeau’s vote of confidence.
Advertisement
“There’s a lot of moving parts like in any business. It’s a start up, right?” DeChambeau said. “And so there’s going to times where we’re squeezed and punched. This is one of those moments. But I’m going to do everything in my power to make it work and I really see the value in franchise golf.”
“Jon (Rahm), Phil (Mickelson), DJ (Dustin Johnson), myself and the guys that have been here from the start, we’re OK,” DeChambeau added. “It’s now our responsibility to take care of these kids that believe in us. That’s why I’m really doing it. There’s so much value to squeeze out of this whole thing for golf in general.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bryson DeChambeau commits to LIV Golf’s future
Read the full article here
