As LIV Golf prepares for its first tournament since the news that it will no longer receive funding from Saudi Arabia’s PIF after this season, questions are swirling about what will happen to the league and its players.
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neal spoke at length Tuesday at Trump National DC about future business plans, momentum and strategic changes. However, as Jon Rahm pointed out, O’Neill and other LIV executives “have a lot of hard work to do” to secure future funding.
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Rahm said Tuesday he has several years left on his contract. But is LIV’s most valuable asset Bryson DeChambeau? He only has a contract until the end of 2026. What he does next will be a huge storyline not only for the long-term health of LIV, but also for the future of professional golf.
He’s already thinking of ideas for what to do if he doesn’t return to LIV or if his path back to the PGA Tour doesn’t work out.
“From my perspective, I want to grow my YouTube channel three times, maybe even more,” DeChambeau told several media outlets, including: ESPN and andon tuesday. His YouTube channel has 2.7 million subscribers. “I’d love to do that. I’d love to do a lot of dubbing in different languages and give the world more reasons to watch YouTube. And I’d love to play in tournaments that need me.”
DeChambeau said he has talked with the PGA Tour, but declined to say what a return would look like.
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Brooks Koepka joined the PGA Tour from LIV through the Returning Member Program earlier this year, but he paid a hefty price for it. DeChambeau, along with Rahm and Cameron Smith, had a chance to return under similar circumstances, but declined. DeChambeau’s path back to the PGA Tour will likely be different, especially since unlike Koepka, DeChambeau has previously been embroiled in lawsuits against the tour.
Despite LIV’s uncertain future, DeChambeau said the PGA Tour is also “not doing well.”
“Let’s be honest about the situation,” he told reporters. “They’ve got the media. They’ve got everyone on the media side. But they’re downsizing the field, they’re cutting employees, they’re also restructuring the business.”
O’Neal was asked Tuesday how DeChambeau’s contract status (signed or not) will affect next year’s funding.
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“Well, that’s an interesting question,” he said. “I’m not sure. We’ll sort it out. Thank you for the question. It’s just that Bryson is special. He’s different and special. You want to talk about business partners, and we’re literally talking about the future of LIV Golf. I’ve been talking to him about how he sees business, not just golf. He’s smart, driven, dedicated, and a great partner.”
DeChambeau told GOLF.com that he sees the current LIV uncertainty as an opportunity.
“Every time a door closes, another one opens,” he said. “I don’t think just because the door closes we’re going to be locked in forever. For us, this is an opportunity that we have, not only in this country but internationally, and it’s a freedom and a chance to build a business. If it’s restructured the right way and people understand the value of team golf and want to be part of something special, I think there’s an opportunity.”
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