Brooks Koepka leaving LIV Golf is an obvious blow to the league. But, it would be a considerably bigger blow if Bryson DeChambeau were to do the same. Bryson is contracted through the end of 2026, but he’s currently in discussions to extend early.
Speaking exclusively to Tom… https://t.co/26MQY725cE pic.twitter.com/LkGvlOizrp
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) December 27, 2025
Last week, Brooks Koepka sent shockwaves throughout the golf world when he announced he was leaving LIV Golf with a year remaining on his contract.
While the decision coming late on Dec. 23 may have surprised some, it was a move seen coming for months, with Koepka never quite buying into the team format of LIV Golf and constantly hinting at him wanting to leave and even return to the PGA Tour.
While a return-to-play on the PGA Tour is the next step in the process for Koepka, his departure from the league is massive. The five-time winner on LIV Golf won the 2023 PGA Championship while competing for the league, his fifth major title, and he was one of the biggest names competing on the breakaway circuit that will enter its fifth year overall in 2026. Now, he’s gone, and the attention turns to other players who have contracts expiring next year.
One of those players is Bryson DeChambeau, the two-time U.S. Open champion who is one of the biggest personalities in golf. He has become one of the most popular content creators in golf, with a massive social media following thanks to his Break 50 series on YouTube and various content he posts on other platforms.
Speaking with Tom Hobbs of Flushing It Golf, in an interview posted over a series of social media posts, DeChambeau opened up on his future with the league.
“I mean, look, it’s confidential. I’m not going to share too much, but the conversations are in process,” DeChambeau said. “We have to get to a place where both parties have a good understanding of one another. It is getting to a place that makes sense for both sides. And, I think that can happen, but you never know. Life throws curve balls and, obviously, we saw what happened (Brooks Koepka leaving LIV Golf) and that was quite a shock to a lot of people and something that, you know, it is what it is.
“People make decisions for whatever their needs and wants are and, ultimately, you have to respect it and move on and it feels like it was a mutual understanding and that’s great. I think that as a league now we have more opportunity to make some movements and I think that team has an opportunity to do some things differently than the past few seasons. So, we’ll see where it all goes and where it all leads. Ultimately, it’s quite interesting.”
DeChambeau went on to say how he thought Koepka’s departure could be a good thing for the league, as in having a player step into a captaincy role who cares about the position could be a benefit. Talor Gooch is taking over as captain of Smash GC.
DeChambeau’s answer is interesting, saying conversations are ongoing, but surely DeChambeau and LIV Golf know the cards are all in DeChambeau’s hands. He controls the outcome here, and if the league wants to keep him, they’ll likely have to give him anything and everything he wants.
DeChambeau hasn’t had the same success on LIV Golf as Koepka has, though he has picked up a couple wins and still thrills fans with his insane length off the tee, and his presence near the top of major leaderboards the past couple years has generated plenty of buzz at the year’s biggest events.
What DeChambeau has going for him is his success on YouTube and with content creation has nothing to do with LIV Golf. Sure, he wears his Crushers GC-branded gear during videos, but most people don’t care what he wears and a lot probably don’t even realize it’s affiliated with his LIV Golf team. Remember, there remains a pretty big gap between professional golf fans and YouTube golf connoisseurs.
That’s a big bargaining chip for DeChambeau: he doesn’t need LIV Golf, but the league needs him perhaps more than anyone else. If he were to leave, it could be the beginning of the end. If that hasn’t already begun.
Another thing to watch is how the PGA Tour handles Koepka’s return. Surely, he will compete on Tour again one day. But how soon, and what his return to play protocol will be, is another bargaining chip for DeChambeau. If the PGA Tour creates a path that makes it easy for LIV Golf stars to return, players will likely be more enticed to leave. That could be a big blow for LIV Golf.
Hobbs asked DeChambeau about Koepka’s possible return to the PGA Tour: “I don’t know, man. I don’t know what they should allow or not … If they’re going to be doing it by the book, they should do it by the book and not give any special exemption. But if there’s a special exemption, it definitely opens the doors for others to do the same, which, you know, it’s a slippery slope for sure.”
Koepka’s decision was a major one for the future of LIV Golf. Of the players who have left the leagues, he’s by far the most notable. Yet an even bigger choice looming is DeChambeau’s. He has all the power while deciding what to do next in his professional career.
And the fate of LIV Golf could hang in the balance based on his choice.
