The Saudi-backed circuit has been a point of discussion ever since Brooks Koepka made his exit on December 23. And now Bryson DeChambeau’s latest statement has left many in the golf world wondering about the future of LIV Golf.

Speaking in an earlier exclusive interview with Tom Hobbs of Flushing It Golf on December 28, Bryson DeChambeau said:

“It’s where I want to be, but ultimately it’s got to make sense for everybody, because I could just do YouTube golf and be totally fine as well.”

Discussing DeChambeau’s situation on The Smylie Show on December 29, co-host Charlie Hulme noted that Bryson’s contract runs through the end of the 2026 season. 

Hulme went on to imagine what that stretch might look like, saying:

“Can you imagine a 2027 season for Bryson where he’s just playing major championships and just shooting YouTube videos? I mean, what a wild summary.”

Smylie Kaufman argued that DeChambeau now carries enormous influence within the league, describing him as “the box office for LIV” and adding:

“That would be almost the nail in the coffin for LIV. It really would be.”

DeChambeau started his YouTube channel in 2021 during his PGA Tour tenure. It now has more than 2.5 million subscribers and hundreds of millions of views, exceeding the subscriber total of the PGA Tour’s official channel.

Hulme suggested that while DeChambeau appears committed to playing out his deal, any potential path back to the PGA Tour would likely involve serving a one-year suspension once his LIV contract expires, a scenario that could temporarily leave him competing only in major championships.

DeChambeau joined LIV Golf in June 2022. Since then, he has won two individual events and has served as captain of Crushers GC, leading the team to the 2023 season championship.

Bryson DeChambeau’s Possible One-Year Suspension

If DeChambeau were required to serve a one-year suspension before returning to the PGA Tour after his LIV contract expires, he could be limited to competing only in major championships during that period. 

The four majors, the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and Open Championship, are administered by separate governing bodies and are not run by the PGA Tour, so a suspended player may still be eligible to compete if they meet the qualification criteria. 

DeChambeau has won the U.S. Open twice, which provides him with a long-term exemption from that event.

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu