Bryson DeChambeau is beginning to imagine a future beyond LIV Golf. If that scenario comes to pass, the American seems clear about the route to take: less of the traditional tour and much more of his own content, or at least that’s what the Californian says for now
The Crushers GC player has told ESPN in an interview, during the LIV Golf tournament on the outskirts of Washington D.C., that he is prepared to focus much of his efforts on his YouTube channel if the Saudi league ends up disappearing at the end of the season
The admission comes at a particularly delicate time for LIV, after it emerged that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) had reportedly withdrawn its funding for the project. A piece of news that, according to DeChambeau, also took him completely by surprise, especially as he is in the process of renewing a contract that expires later this year
“I was totally surprised. I didn’t expect it to happen,” the player explained. “A couple of months earlier it was: ‘We’re here until 2032, we have funding until 2032’. That was what I told everyone, because that’s what I had been told. And then I had no communication. Unfortunately, things are moving in a different direction”
It’s a significant blow. DeChambeau, one of LIV’s most recognisable faces and probably the player who has best managed to turn his image into a global brand beyond the course, doesn’t have his contract with the league expiring until after 2026. His return to the PGA Tour, at least for now, does not look like an easy path
According to Golf Digest, representatives of several LIV players have contacted the PGA Tour to explore a possible return. The problem is that the favour that was granted to Brooks Koepka at the time would no longer be on the table. In DeChambeau’s case, moreover, the situation would be even more complex, since he was one of the eleven players who sued the PGA Tour in the midst of the conflict between the two circuits
Perhaps that’s why the Californian used the interview to also send a message to the American circuit. “Let’s be honest about the situation,” he said. “They have the media, they have everyone on their side to help inflate it, but they are also reducing fields, cutting staff and restructuring their business”
Against that backdrop, DeChambeau does not hide that his plan B — or perhaps already plan A — involves YouTube. “I’d love to grow my channel threefold, perhaps even more,” he said. “I’d like to dub content into different languages, give the world more reasons to watch YouTube. And then play the tournaments that want to have me”
“If we don’t find a solution, for me I think it’s a really attractive option, depending on what everyone at the PGA Tour says and the sanction they want to impose on me, which in my opinion is quite unfortunate, given what I could do for them,” he emphasised
The phrase captures the man well. DeChambeau stopped being just a golfer some time ago. He is also a content creator, a walking laboratory, a brand with millions of followers and a profile capable of connecting with audiences that traditional golf has been chasing for years with little success
LIV are aware of it. Scott O’Neil, the league’s CEO, was asked about the importance of renewing DeChambeau before going to market to seek new investors. His answer was cautious but revealing: “Bryson is special. He’s different and special. He’s smart, ambitious, committed and a great partner”
The question is whether LIV will have the time, money and a big enough project to keep him. DeChambeau, just in case, has already begun to lay out the map of his next life and it doesn’t necessarily involve asking permission from any tour
