Bryson DeChambeau gets PGA Tour lifeline after LIV Golf collapse

Bryson DeChambeau has been offered a free route back to the professional game by the DP World Tour after LIV Golf confirmed that it is finally shutting down.

The American was considered the key figure in the proposed LIV relaunch after the Saudis pulled its funding in May.

But BC Partners, the London-based financial company, revealed that it was not prepared to go ahead with a £225 million rescue deal.

That left the LIV executives no choice but to tell a bankruptcy hearing on Thursday that it was winding down operations and going into liquidation.

It is understood that DeChambeau, the two-time major winner, whose social media following tops 10 million, met with BC Partners recently.

But it is unclear whether he stuck to his word and committed to appear in LIV 2.0.

However, Telegraph Sport has also learnt that his advisers were informed by the DP World Tour that, as the winner of the 2024 US Open, DeChambeau can take up full playing privileges on the European circuit next year.

The 23-year-old is the only Tour non-member on LIV who has this exemption.

If he decides to enlist for 2027 he could earn back his PGA Tour card for 2028 via the Race to Dubai money list.

LIV Golf's lawyers told a federal bankruptcy judge in Trenton, New Jersey on Thursday that the league won't relaunch in 2027.

"The debtors are not currently proceeding with the LIV 2.0 plan," Matthew Williams, an attorney for LIV, said in court.

That leaves the league's biggest star with nowhere to play.

LIV – initially funded by the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund – spent more than $5 billion after launching in 2022.

In April the fund said it was done paying after this season.

LIV filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September and pinned its future on a smaller league backed by up to $300 million from private investment firm BC Partners Credit.

The Financial Times reported Wednesday that BC was walking away.

The Athletic reported the firm didn't believe LIV had enough players.

DeChambeau was one of the players it didn't have.

He spent the fall talking up LIV 2.0 harder than anyone.

On the "Figuring Out" podcast, he said his Crushers GC team generated $8 million last year in EBITDA, which is earnings before interest, taxes and some accounting costs.

Then the deadline came, and he didn't sign.

Sports Business Journal reported that DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann all passed.

Four players publicly committed: Richard Bland, Cameron Triangle, Brendan Steele and Ben Campbell.

DeChambeau's LIV contract ran through 2026.

A bankruptcy judge has since approved LIV's rejection of that deal and 18 others.

Rejection is the legal step that frees a bankruptcy company from contracts it can't afford to keep.

Getting paid is a separate filing.

Filings show LIV owes $500 million to $1 billion to at least 1,000 creditors.