DeChambeau Backs New LIV Golf Model Despite Rivals' Departures

Bryson DeChambeau has signalled he intends to stay with LIV Golf as the league moves into a reworked format, telling a podcast interviewer he believes the team-based tour can be fixed and sustained long term.

Speaking to Raj Shamani on the Figuring Out podcast, as reported by Golf Monthly, the Crushers GC captain said he remained committed to the team element of LIV even though its central organisation had been mismanaged. "I really care, and I still do care deeply about the team golf stuff," DeChambeau said.

He argued the problems sat above team level, saying the companies running individual teams had performed well financially even as the league's parent body struggled. DeChambeau said his own team "generated almost $29 million last year in revenue" while carrying significant costs in player payments, travel and other expenses.

According to DeChambeau, when the overarching LIV company ran into financial trouble, obligations for player payments and other costs were pushed down onto the teams themselves. He put this down to a shortfall in the capital that had originally been expected from the league's backers, rather than any fault among the teams.

LIV's financial difficulties became public earlier this year when Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, the league's original backer, announced it would withdraw funding after the season. Two events were lost as a result, and the campaign ended early, in August.

LIV subsequently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy before agreeing a deal with BC Partners aimed at restarting the league under new ownership.

More than a dozen players have announced they are leaving LIV Golf for other tours before 2027, including Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia and Tyrrell Hatton. Joaquin Niemann is widely expected to follow them to the DP World Tour next season, Golf Monthly reported.

Separately, Yahoo Sports reported that DeChambeau's relationship with some PGA Tour figures remains strained. Brooks Koepka, who left LIV for the PGA Tour in late 2025, made light of DeChambeau in a recent interview with Dan Rapaport, after being asked about DeChambeau's comments that Rory McIlroy had not spoken to him during the final round of the 2025 Masters.

McIlroy had separately made clear at this year's Open Championship that he is not a fan of DeChambeau. Yahoo Sports suggested that friction with figures such as Koepka and McIlroy may help explain DeChambeau's reluctance to return to the PGA Tour.

DeChambeau told Skratch in May that he would only consider a PGA Tour return if the tour's membership wanted him back - a stance Yahoo Sports said carries new weight given Koepka's and McIlroy's recent comments.

As things stand, DeChambeau continues to present himself as the leading voice behind LIV Golf's next phase, even as several of the league's established names prepare for a future away from it before the 2027 campaign.