Bryson DeChambeau has one more year on his contract with LIV Golf. That much is clear. What’s not is his future.
Speaking at Oakmont Country Club on Tuesday, where he’s prepping to defend his U.S. Open championship, DeChambeau confirmed that his contract with LIV runs out at the end of next season, and that he’s currently in negotiations on a new deal.
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“We’re looking to negotiate end of this year, and I’m very excited,” DeChambeau said. “They see the value in me. I see the value in what they can provide, and I believe we’ll come to some sort of resolution on that. Super excited for the future.”
He should be, because if LIV wants to keep him, it’s going to have to dig very deep into the pockets of the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
Three years ago nearly to the day, DeChambeau — who theretofore had publicly declared his allegiance to the PGA Tour — announced he was leaving for LIV. For the Saudi-backed tour, it was a coup, landing the game’s most enigmatic figure. For DeChambeau, it was a massive financial haul, worth reportedly north of $125 million.
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He wouldn’t be the only one raking in huge financial gains from LIV — Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson and others have benefitted from the near-trillion-dollar Saudi Public Investment Fund — but he’s inarguably the only golfer who’s actually raised his profile since making the move to the upstart tour.
Whereas Rahm’s star has faded, DeChambeau, via his embrace of social media and his reverse heel turn on the course from nerdy villain to man of the people, has emerged as one of the most popular golfers on the planet. He’s also upped his game when it matters most — at the majors. He won the U.S. Open for a second time last year and has six top-10 finishes in his last nine major starts.
So while the lack of eyeballs, tradition and general ambivalence to LIV Golf has turned Rahm, Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and every other name player who took the bag to join LIV into an afterthought, DeChambeau has never been more front and center. That’s what makes his next move so interesting.
He doesn’t appear to miss playing on the PGA Tour quite like Rahm, who outwardly praises LIV but reportedly has regrets over his decision to take the money and run. Regardless of what Rahm’s future is, DeChambeau is LIV’s blue-chip player — the one guy it probably can’t let get away.
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To this point, LIV is losing in its years-long battle with the PGA Tour. The PIF’s deep pockets have kept it afloat — and can keep it afloat as long as the Saudis remain interested — but if the tour is going to gain any relevance, it needs DeChambeau to stay put. Losing him would mean more than just losing its most popular player; it would signal to everyone else — players and golf fans alike — that LIV isn’t anything more than a place to cash a paycheck.
To that end, DeChambeau is playing the negotiating game he needs to play, one that could extend the wealth he’s already accumulated a few dozen more generations.
If he were to skip town and return to the PGA Tour, he’d have to sit out a season, per the Tour’s current stated policy regarding LIV players. If he sticks around, he’ll become the highest paid player in golf.
These are his options.
