LIV Golf was built on star power.
They have invested millions in the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, and Jon Rahm to justify their status as an elite competition rivaling the PGA Tour. Signing the biggest stars in the sport is directly tied to LIV Golf’s success.
But while LIV hopes to grow in popularity, it’s struggling to compete with the PGA Tour. Over the course of seven Sundays when both LIV Golf and the PGA Tour held events, the PGA Tour averaged over 17 times the viewership of its rivals on TV.
LIV’s star status faded slightly this season, as none of its players won a major championship. To add to the reputational hit, only three LIV players were at the Ryder Cup.
Furthermore, a controversial end to their season raised questions about the league’s format, as Rahm won the individual title despite not winning a single event throughout the year.
But it wasn’t how the title was won that likely had the biggest impact on LIV’s viewership in 2025. Instead, it was who wasn’t in contention to win it.
Bryson DeChambeau needs to be in contention for LIV Golf to succeed
DeChambeau is LIV Golf’s greatest attraction. The YouTube sensation has a passionate following, which was evident to all at the Ryder Cup. DeChambeau was Team USA’s biggest star, even over the likes of world number one Scottie Scheffler.
Despite that, the two-time US Open winner wasn’t close to challenging Rahm for the LIV individual title. DeChambeau had six top-10 finishes and only one win through 13 events, finishing 80 points behind Rahm in the standings.
That simply isn’t going to cut it for LIV Golf. Their biggest name cannot have as many wins as Adrian Meronk and Marc Leishman in 2025 if they are going to draw eyes to their tour.
The American had a T18 and T20 finish in his first three 2025 LIV events, almost ruling him out of contention immediately. The exact effect of that on their viewership is difficult to say, but it’s not hard to imagine the number of people that would flock to a LIV event if DeChambeau was fighting for the title.
DeChambeau’s performances at the Masters and the PGA Championship, where he was in contention for the win, as well as his victory at LIV Korea, prove he deserves his reputation among golf’s elite.
But he needs to find some consistency in order to fight with Rahm for the 2026 title.
Bryson DeChambeau admitted LIV Golf’s progress is slower than expected
Before The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, DeChambeau was asked to weigh in on the state of LIV Golf. He admitted that it wasn’t growing as quickly as he had expected when he joined the tour in 2022.
He said, “Where do I think LIV is currently? It’s moving in the right direction. We’re commercialising. We’ve got some good partners on board with us now. Is it taking longer than we would have thought? Yeah, but we’re okay with that.”
While DeChambeau expressed excitement about the new CEO, Scott O’Neil, and the changes he could make to improve the tour, some introspection is needed.
Has DeChambeau done enough on the course to encourage people to tune in? Perhaps not. And the biggest thing for LIV Golf going into 2026 is for viewers to tune into their events, look at the leaderboard, and see DeChambeau and Rahm at the top.
Rory McIlroy just had his greatest ever season, and the PGA Tour’s numbers reflect that. It’s time for DeChambeau to do the same for LIV.
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