After months of uncertainty surrounding LIV Golf’s future, Bryson DeChambeau offered perhaps the strongest indication yet that he plans to be part of the league’s proposed reboot, saying during a recent appearance on the “Figuring Out” podcast that the new version of LIV can finally “make full financial sense” and, he hopes, last “forever.”
“The business model makes a lot of sense,” DeChambeau told host Raj Shamani. “And we’re actually working through that right now for this new model where it will make full financial sense.
“It’s no funny business, no nothing. It’s going to be done right. And this is going to be a league, hopefully, that exists forever.”
Those comments are significant considering how much has changed around LIV in recent months.
The league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September after financial difficulties forced it to end its season earlier than expected. That was followed by a steady stream of departures, with some of LIV’s biggest names opting against participating in LIV 2.0.
Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Sergio Garcia are among at least 14 notable players who have said they will not return. Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion and one of LIV Golf’s most prominent original defectors from the PGA Tour, instead plans to play on the DP World Tour in 2027.
That left DeChambeau as arguably the most important piece of LIV’s uncertain future. The two-time U.S. Open champion had not publicly announced his plans ahead of the extended Oct. 30 commitment deadline. But his latest comments certainly sound like someone expecting to be part of what comes next.
DeChambeau also acknowledged that LIV’s original structure had problems.
“The point of it is that the team golf stuff, I was very excited about,” DeChambeau said. “I really care, and I still do care deeply about the team golf stuff.
“And the top company just wasn’t really managed that effectively. And I know that now ... I didn’t know that during the time.”
The restructured LIV could look significantly different financially. Under the proposed arrangement involving BC Partners and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, player ownership would become a bigger part of the equation, moving away from the massive guaranteed contracts that helped LIV lure many of the game’s biggest names when it launched.
Golfers would own 52.5 percent of LIV Golf’s reorganized parent company under the restructuring proposal.
The Oct. 30 deadline was particularly important because ratification of the restructuring agreement hinges on commitments from a group of “requisite players” that BC Partners determines are necessary for LIV to continue as a “bona fide golf league.” A reported 15 to 20 players have committed to return, though the full list has not been made public.
Only four players had previously announced publicly that they planned to participate in LIV 2.0: Richard Bland, Cameron Tringale, Brendan Steele and Ben Campbell.
DeChambeau’s comments, however, provide LIV something it badly needed after losing Rahm, Hatton, Garcia and others: an indication that its biggest remaining star is prepared to stick around.
Other prominent players, including Joaquin Niemann, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Cameron Smith, have yet to publicly announce their plans.
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor of Golfweek and the golf coordinator of the USA Today Network.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Bryson DeChambeau signals LIV Golf return, says new league can last ‘forever’
