Bryson DeChambeau’s future has been a story that is central to the survival of LIV Golf.
The two-time US Open winner is the face of the league, so he’s essential to LIV’s survival after the Saudi Public Investment Fund withdrew its support of the tour for next season. But since that news was reported, DeChambeau, whose LIV contract expires at the end of this season, is exploring other options.
He was seen speaking to PGA Tour officials at The Masters to discuss a potential return, and he’s threatened both LIV Golf and the PGA Tour with doing YouTube full time and only playing in the majors.
DeChambeau, who recently appeared on The Katie Miller Podcast, said that he isn’t certain whether he’ll continue to play competitive golf week to week or focus on content creation. That’s been called a massive blow for LIV Golf’s chances of survival.
Trey Wingo says Bryson DeChambeau’s comments are a big blow for LIV Golf
LIV Golf and its CEO, Scott O’Neil, are currently scrambling to find new investment after the Saudis suddenly pulled funding for next season. They need to find an investor to pick up the cheque left behind by the PIF, which is a tall task in itself.
And this job has been made all the more difficult for LIV after their biggest star, DeChambeau, made it clear to the world that he doesn’t know where he’ll be playing golf next season. Golf analyst Trey Wingo said it’s a disaster for O’Neil’s search for funding.
Speaking on the “Straight Facts. Homie!” podcast, he said, “Remember Scott O’Neil, CEO of LIV, says, ‘Bryson is in there with us, man. We are in the trenches.’ And Bryson has said previously, as long as LIV is around, I want to be a part of it.
But then he said this on the podcast, ‘I’m in that weird space right now. I don’t know what to do either. Content creation or professional golf. I don’t know what to do right now.’ You might as well have just taken a hammer and hitting Scott O’Neil in the forehead with it.
“That is not what Scott O’Neill needed to have Bryson DeChambeau come out there and say as he is scrambling his ass off trying to find a way to get LIV to survive. And Scott is a really bright guy. People can have their issues with him for going to LIV in the first place. That’s fine.
“He’s had success everywhere he’s been. What he doesn’t need is his one calling card. Literally him and Jon Rahm, for very different reasons. Rahm, for the way he plays and Rahm who has been the number one player in the world, something Bryson has never done.
“He’s won two majors. Yes, Bryson has won two US Opens. Rahm has won a US Open and a Masters. Jon Rahm and Bryson are everything if they’re going to go forward with LIV. If they’re going to have any future, they got to have those guys.
And now you have Bryson DeChambeau saying, ‘I don’t know what to do. Maybe I’ll be a content creator. Maybe I’ll play professional golf.’ And again, he’s a really good content creator. If he wanted to go that road, I have no problems with him. I wish him the best of luck.
“He’s an interesting guy. He says a lot of things. Some of them make sense, some of them don’t. So, I don’t know if Bryson is saying this as a negotiating ploy to get more money out of LIV, but if he is, Bryson, I got news for you. They don’t have any money.
“‘I’d like more percent of zero, please,’ at the moment because no money times two is still no money, which is what they have.
“So, the last thing, I mean, the last thing in the world that Scott O’Neill wants to hear as he is scrambling his butt to try and find funding and sponsorships and try and get some sort of existing media rights deal for LIV after August of 2026 is for Bryson DeChambeau, his ace in the hole, his calling card, the one guy that transcends LIV to get people to watch for a variety of different reasons say, ‘I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just go make YouTube videos.’
“To quote Ted Lasso, ‘That don’t make no sense. That don’t make no sense. It makes no sense whatsoever.’”
Bryson DeChambeau’ competitive spirit questioned by Trey Wingo
DeChambeau claims that he can do YouTube full time and only play in the major championships, but judging by his last two major performances, that might prove to be a tall task.
He’s exempt to play in the majors until 2029, but big questions remain on how ready he’ll be for competitive action if he isn’t competing week to week.
That led Wingo to question DeChambeau’s competitive spirit in comparison to the other greats of the game. He said, “Maybe this idea of you being sharp enough to play in majors while doing just your YouTube content and going out on LIV, is not the best way for you to be sharp. And if you like the content creation so much, your prerogative, God bless you.
“This is America, land of the free, home of the brave. Dreams do come true. If you want to make your living doing that, then go ahead and do it. But you’re a two-time US Open champion, bro. Where’s your competitive spirit? Where’s your drive to be the best?
“Tiger Woods is out there back from rehab again. Back surgery’s out the a–. He’s got a leg that probably shouldn’t be attached to his body. He’s still trying to fight to compete. He’s still trying to find a way to get back and grind because he wants that 83rd win. He wants to have the most wins.
“He’s never going to get 19 majors. That’s never happening. But maybe he could find a way to sneak out a regular tour win somewhere along the way and get to 83, which would break the tie he has currently with Sam Snead for the most wins in PGA Tour history. That’s his motivation. That’s what’s driving him. Probably not the best use of words. That’s what is his motivation.
“Okay. Brooks Kepka left because his contract was up and he came back and he’s accepted his penalties and he’s out there, you know, he didn’t play in the Truist. He was at the lower tier PGA event at Myrtle Beach. He’s out there at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson Cup this week.
“And what did he say? He said, ‘I’m having more fun than I’ve had in years. the grind, getting out there, trying to be the best that I possibly can. That’s what’s motivating me. I’ve fallen in love with the game again.’ These are what the greats do. They find a way to be motivated to be the best at what they do.
“And maybe for Bryson, when it’s all said and done, that is content creation, and that’s what he wants to be. Maybe he wasn’t happy being a two-time US Open winner. He certainly seemed to enjoy it, though, right?
“He certainly seemed to enjoy it at Winged Foot and he certainly seemed to enjoy making that unbelievable chunked 50-yard bunker shot from the fairway short of the 18th green at Pinehurst. One of the greatest shots in the history of the game quite frankly.
“Those shots are so incredibly hard and he chunked it out there and made the putt to beat Rory McIlroy by one stroke. So I don’t know what motivates Bryson right now. But if you’re a competitor and you’ve you’ve already climbed the mountaintop twice at arguably the toughest test in golf, the US Open, isn’t that isn’t that who you are? Isn’t that your DNA?”
As Koepka is battling it out at Myrtle Beach and TPC Craig Ranch to get into Signature Events, and having the time of his life, DeChambeau won’t entertain the possibility of doing the same. Koepka is doing it for the love of the game. Can DeChambeau say the same?
