Bryson DeChambeau's LIV Golf Future Crumbles Amid Shutdown

‘Can’t See Him Grinding’: Bryson DeChambeau Faces Uncertain PGA Tour Future Amid LIV Shutdown

LIV Golf’s chances of survival took their final hit on Wednesday, when multiple reports confirmed that BC Partners Credit had walked away from its planned investment.

The news was confirmed by LIV Golf’s lawyers at a bankruptcy hearing in New Jersey on Thursday.

LIV Golf, which formed in 2021 and held its first tournament in June 2022, is now expected to pivot toward liquidation.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which had bankrolled the league since its inception, ended its support after 2026.

A bankruptcy hearing on Thursday was expected to shift toward liquidating the league’s assets.

The collapse leaves a roster of star players without a home in professional golf.

Among them, no name stands out more than Bryson DeChambeau.

DeChambeau, a two-time major champion, was LIV Golf’s most committed star.

He made the jump to LIV Golf in June 2022 and won five times on the tour.

Up until a few days ago, he seemed all in on sticking with the league in the future.

On a November 5 episode of ‘Dan on Golf,’ hosts Dan Rapaport and Alan Shipnuck asked where the league’s loudest believer ends up.

Their answer ended on the line the headline borrows.

“He’s into the majors until 2029, and he could probably play Dubai or whatever, like these places that will throw him a bag to come, and he can film YouTube videos, and I just can’t see him like grinding to make the Tour Championship ever again,” the hosts said.

The final blow was player commitment.

ESPN reported that around 30 golfers had committed to LIV 2.0 and about 10 more were undecided.

But BC Partners pulled out when talks dragged on.

The deal was contingent on securing commitments from high-profile players.

With not a single marquee name buying into the concept of “LIV 2.0,” BC Partners walked away from the table.

The Financial Times first broke the story, with Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal confirming that DeChambeau, Cam Smith, and Dustin Johnson all failed to formally commit to LIV 2.0.

DeChambeau had verbally pledged his backing for LIV 2.0, but never formally signed on the dotted line.

Several stars had already left.

Jon Rahm was among former LIV players who publicly announced their exit from the new version.

Rahm declined LIV 2.0 and said he would accept the same penalties as Brooks Koepka to return, though no talks have started.

Sergio Garcia and Tyrrell Hatton also led a mass departure.

October brought a shake-up.

A judge approved LIV’s motion to reject the contracts of 19 golfers, and DeChambeau was among those released.

DeChambeau basically threw away four years of his prime to play for LIV Golf.

While he won a U.S. Open during that time and has remained one of the biggest draws in the sport, he has missed out on growing his legacy by not playing on the PGA Tour, where wins are more meaningful than any of the tournaments put on by LIV Golf.

Now the biggest question in professional golf is an easy one to ask, but a difficult one to answer: What’s next for Bryson DeChambeau?

DeChambeau had the chance to return to the PGA Tour in January.

He was among the LIV Golf players eligible to return through the Returning Member Program but decided to stay with LIV.

Brooks Koepka took the offer and agreed to pay a $5 million fine.

He also accepted a five-year wait before becoming part of the PGA Tour’s equity programme.

However, the chance to return may now be gone.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp described the offer as a “one-time, defined window.”

He has since said there are no plans to bring it back.

On Raj Shamani’s podcast, DeChambeau said LIV 2.0 was “going to be done right” and would not compete against the PGA Tour.

Those comments came before BC Partners pulled out.

He told ‘Figuring Out’ that the league’s rebuild would be “done right,” and he hoped it would “exist forever.”

Just days later, the 33-year-old finds himself without a home in professional golf.

He has previously hinted that competitive golf could take a back seat to his ambitions as a content creator.

Should he wish to return to the PGA Tour, he will likely need to agree to terms similar to those of Brooks Koepka, but potentially more stringent.

Koepka was required to accept a series of financial penalties before rejoining the tour in January.

If DeChambeau opts to resume his career on the DP World Tour, he will need to rely on sponsor invitations, given that he is not a tour member.

He is scheduled to compete in the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa next month after receiving an invitation from tournament host Gary Player.

A number of star players left LIV Golf before its demise and are in a better place because of their decisions.

Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed were the first to jump ship last winter.

Koepka was able to make an immediate return to the PGA Tour thanks to a special deal that is no longer on the table.