There is plenty of interest in what Bryson DeChambeau will do next following Brooks Koepka’s decision to leave LIV Golf ahead of the 2026 season.
Brooks Koepka became the first marquee name to push to leave LIV Golf. The five-time major champion reached an agreement to move on before the final year of his contract.
Is this the end of LIV Golf?
LIV has arguably never been in a more vulnerable position. It remains to be seen whether other players will look to follow Koepka’s lead, or whether he is the anomaly.
Bryson DeChambeau issued an interesting reaction to news of his rival’s departure. DeChambeau said he was excited about LIV’s future at the US Open this year. Speaking earlier this month however, the 32-year-old was much more reluctant to commit himself to the league.
Why Bryson DeChambeau would be wise to stay with LIV Golf
It would be a potentially fatal blow for LIV if DeChambeau walked away. With that, it is clear that the Crushers captain now holds all of the cards.
However, DeChambeau has been advised that he may actually be much better staying put, whatever happens next with LIV.
Speaking on The Smylie Show, Smylie Kaufman claimed that LIV suits DeChambeau potentially more than any other player – and returning to the PGA Tour may have a negative impact on his stock.
“When I try to picture Bryson playing on the PGA Tour, it’s a little bit more difficult for me to picture him back on the PGA Tour versus a guy like Brooks. Brooks, to me, fits right in. He’s a player I think fits perfectly in the signature event model to where all the events feel a little bit bigger. His schedule will be a little bit more condensed. I think it suits him a little bit more. Whereas Bryson, I don’t know, it just feels like he’s found himself a little bit on LIV,” he said.
“He is the show over at LIV Golf. It is all about Bryson over there. I think most of that attention, it will be on him early, but if he’s not playing good golf, it kind of goes away a little bit on the PGA Tour. On LIV, every day, he is the main attraction. In my head when I’m debating these two coming back, I think Brooks is bothered by the lack of competition that he feels and that sense of competing against the best. Bryson, I don’t think he’s bothered by it quite as much.
“One thing too that I think about with Bryson and LIV Golf, I think security, having that security to where your job is safe, I think for a guy like Bryson means a lot because he’s able to focus on his YouTube, he can just go play his LIV schedule and not worry about losing your job.
“I think as soon as he gets back to the PGA Tour, and let’s say the PGA Tour changes their playing criteria, so let’s say there’s not the two-year exemption for winning on the PGA Tour, and they make it much more of if you’re top 80, you’re keeping your card, but if you’re not, you’re going down a league, keep it to where a consumer understands every year a player can drop out of the top 80. Make it really, really competitive in that way.
“Now from a quality and how good he is at golf, he shouldn’t have a problem with that. But let’s say he’s having a bad year, that’s where I think the Bryson of old might come out again. And LIV Golf, I know they have this relegation and the drop zone, but remember that he’s a captain and his value to the league and potentially what he’s going to sign on for – that could be a $100+ million deal – he’d be kind of silly not to do it, right? It makes more sense for him.”
The PGA Tour would be foolish to reduce the number of cards further
DeChambeau would be wise to see what happens with Koepka before making any final decision on his future.
If Koepka faces playing on the DP World Tour for a year, then it is hard to imagine DeChambeau leaving LIV anytime soon.
Do you think LIV would survive if Bryson DeChambeau returned to the PGA Tour?
But there seems to be next to no chance of DeChambeau losing his card if he did return to the PGA Tour. The top players have such a large advantage with the signature events. It is incredibly difficult to fall out of the top 50 once you are in.
As Kaufman notes, there could be big changes in the future. However, the PGA Tour will not want to be so ruthless that some of their best players consider walking away.
DeChambeau seems to be one of the few players who could still have a seismic impact by moving from one tour to the other. The PGA Tour will not want to do anything to put him off returning if that is what he is considering.
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