Bryson DeChambeau says he wants to play PGA Tour events again. The two-time U.S. Open champion made the comments in an exclusive interview with the New York Post on Aug. 7.
It came days after LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil revealed a new investor for the league’s next chapter.
DeChambeau described a vision where LIV and the PGA Tour operate side by side rather than compete for survival.
He wants golf course stadiums modeled on the PGA Tour’s TPC Sawgrass. Each LIV team, in his vision, would eventually own its own venue. He does not see the sport’s split as a binary choice.
“Personally, I’d love to be able to play events on the PGA Tour, too,” DeChambeau said. “I think that’s best for golf. I’d love that. It’s not an either/or mentality. It’s ‘can we do both?’ I think that’s where everybody wants to be.”
He added that every golf fan wants to see him compete on the biggest stages again. He said he would play any event that fits his schedule, including team formats.
DeChambeau remains suspended from the PGA Tour over his reported $125 million move to LIV Golf in June 2022. His current LIV contract expires at the end of this season. He has repeatedly said he intends to stay if the league survives beyond 2026.
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GettyLIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil secures new funding.
When the league’s continuation was in doubt after PIF pulled off its funding, O’Neil went searching for its survival. That monthlong effort bore fruit on Aug. 5.
He announced that LIV had signed an agreement with a lead investor. Terms are expected to close in September. The New York Post and Bloomberg put the deal’s value near $250 million to $300 million. Bloomberg later identified the credit arm of private equity firm BC Partners as the group leading talks.
The plan reshapes LIV into a leaner operation, branded internally as LIV 2.0. The schedule shrinks from 14 events to 10. Five are international “team majors,” in countries such as Australia, South Africa, England, Hong Kong and Mexico.
The other five are U.S.-based events. Purses are expected to drop from $30 million to $15 million and $20 million.
O’Neil said the new structure would make LIV’s players majority equity holders in the league.
BC Partners’ willingness to fund LIV hinges on one thing. The league must keep enough top talent to remain commercially viable. That puts DeChambeau and reigning individual champion Jon Rahm at the center of the negotiation.
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GettyBryson DeChambeau wants to play on the PGA Tour.
None of that has softened the PGA Tour’s public stance. CEO Brian Rolapp told Bloomberg Television on Aug. 7 that reunification is not on the table.
“There’s no merger, no conversations,” Rolapp said.
Rolapp has spent his tenure building bridges everywhere except toward LIV. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour signed a 13-year joint venture in 2022.
The PGA Tour raised its stake in European Tour Productions from 15% to 40%. The two tours also brought the Asian Tour back into their pathway system. They struck a new deal with Golf Australia for the Australian Open.
Further, DeChambeau’s relationship with PGA Tour leadership carries baggage that predates Rolapp. DeChambeau joined 10 other players, including Phil Mickelson, in an August 2022 antitrust lawsuit.
It accused the Tour of coordinating to block LIV defectors from competing elsewhere. The suit called the Tour’s suspensions a de facto lifetime ban.
Most plaintiffs dropped out within months. DeChambeau stayed in until May 2023. That soured the relationship.
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