Bryson DeChambeau has addressed speculation he could be leaving LIV Golf after this season by pledging: “As long as LIV is here, I would figure out a way for it to make sense.”
DeChambeau told Flushing It Golf, in an interview published on Wednesday, he is working on “a potential contract” as he plays out the final season of his original LIV Golf deal.
The circuit is facing questions about its future as rumours circulate that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund may be preparing to end its immense financial support of the league. However, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said last week the league would not fold. O’Neil later said LIV Golf is financed through to the 2026 season.
DeChambeau had spent part of his time while competing at the Masters Tournament earlier this month discussing a possible return to the PGA Tour, according to a report by The Athletic.
In his interview published on Wednesday, DeChambeau said he is committed to LIV Golf as long as the league continues next year.
“We’re still working on a potential contract,” he said. “I haven’t given up on that and I think there will be a solution. But as of right now, my job is to help make the league work after this year. I jfeel like I have a responsibility. I’ve put a lot of effort into it. That’s what I’m going to do, we’re going to make this work.”
When LIV Golf began in 2022, DeChambeau reportedly signed a $125m (R2bn) contract for 4½ years. According to The Daily Telegraph, he had been seeking as much as $500m (R8.2bn) on a new contract to remain with the league
Adversity comes with the territory, DeChambeau said, as in any new venture.
“There’s a lot of moving parts like in any business,” he said. “It’s a startup, right? So there’s going to be 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.”
DeChambeau, 32, prevailed in a playoff in consecutive weeks in March by winning at LIV Golf Singapore and LIV Golf South Africa. The two-time US Open champion has won five individual LIV Golf titles.
When LIV Golf began in 2022, DeChambeau reportedly signed a $125m (R2bn) contract for 4½ years. According to The Daily Telegraph, he had been seeking as much as $500m (R8.2bn) on a new contract to remain with the league.
DeChambeau did have the opportunity to return to the PGA Tour earlier this year through the Returning Member Program, but reportedly declined. That programme was developed as Brooks Koepka departed LIV for his return to the PGA Tour earlier this year.
Also declining the option to return were Jon Rahm and Cam Smith. DeChambeau, Rahm and Smith were the only three LIV stars who were offered a path to return amid new parameters that were restricted to players who had departed for at least two years and had won a major tournament or a Players Championship title between 2022 and 2025.
DeChambeau, as captain of the Crushers GC team, turned the focus beyond his own situation and fellow stars Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Spain’s Rahm to younger golfers committed to the league.
“Another reason why I’m doing this is not only for myself and the team aspect that I believe in on the Crushers side,” he said. “It’s for Michael La Sasso. It’s for Caleb Surratt. It’s for Josele Ballester. It’s for David Puig.
“Jon, Phil, DJ, myself and the guys who have been here from the start, we’re OK. It’s now our responsibility to take care of these kids who believe in us. That’s why I’m doing it. There’s so much value to squeeze out of this whole thing for golf in general.”
The league’s fourth season has eight tournaments remaining — five in the US — after last week’s event in Mexico. — Field Level Media
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