Bryson DeChambeau has a plan B. Speaking ahead of this week’s LIV Golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club, the two-time US Open champion opened up about his future if the breakaway tour does not survive beyond 2026.
“I’d love to grow my YouTube channel three times, maybe even more,” DeChambeau said. “I’d love to do a bunch of dubbing in different languages, giving the world more reason to watch YouTube. And then I’d love to play tournaments that want me.”
The 32-year-old said he was “completely shocked” when Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced last week it would withdraw its financial backing from LIV Golf at the end of the season. DeChambeau had been told as recently as a couple of months ago that PIF financing was secured through 2032.
“A couple months before that, it’s like, we’re here until 2032, and so I told everybody, and that’s what I was told,” he said. “And then I haven’t had any communication. And unfortunately, things are moving on in a different direction.”
Bryson DeChambeau’s LIV contract expires at the end of this season, and he had been in line for a lucrative new deal before the PIF announcement derailed those plans. Reports have suggested he was seeking $500 million to remain with the tour. When asked if he had concerns about PIF paying out the remainder of his current contract, he said simply: “Your guess is as good as mine.”
DeChambeau confirmed he has had some conversations with the PGA Tour but did not go into specifics about a potential return. He suggested the tour was prepared to hit him with significant penalties if he came back, describing the prospect as “quite unfortunate considering what I could do for them.”
He was among 11 golfers who sued the PGA Tour in 2022 over suspensions handed to players who joined LIV, before withdrawing from that lawsuit in May 2023.
Rather than pointing fingers, Bryson DeChambeau called for both sides to put their differences aside and work towards reunification.
“The egos need to get dropped,” he said. “Everybody needs to come in with a level-headed playing field, with an opportunistic mindset to grow the game of golf. That’s why I came over here. That’s why I do what I do on YouTube.”
He also floated the idea of a merger, suggesting LIV’s team franchises could be sold for close to $200 million each and that a combined business model could work for everyone involved. “What’s best for the game of golf?” he said. “I think it requires a little bit of everybody lowering their guards and all coming together.”
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil was asked Tuesday whether DeChambeau would have a new contract before the league went to market for new investors. “Bryson’s special. He’s different and special. He’s smart, he’s driven, he’s committed, and he’s a heck of a partner,” O’Neil said.
