Speaking to reporters ahead of this week’s LIV Virginia event, DeChambeau revealed that he was “completely shocked” by the news that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was pulling its multi-billion funding from the breakaway league.
“A couple months before that, it’s like, ‘we’re here until 2032’,” DeChambeau said, per ESPN. “We’ve got financing until 2032. “And so I told everybody, and that’s what I was told.”
DeChambeau has stressed that he wants to support LIV as CEO Scott O’Neil begins his survival operation by attempting to lure alternate investment to the league. Just last week, he dismissed suggestions he was looking to leave before the end of the season as “completely untrue”.
But the two-time US Open champion has now addressed what his future could look like if LIV cannot continue beyond the 2026 season. He admitted that he has had some conversations with the PGA Tour, but not specifically about a potential pathway back to the US-based circuit.
“If Scott doesn’t find the funding … OK, so if I can’t help, if we can’t help and the players can’t help find the funding and we don’t find a solution, for me I think it’s really enticing, depending on what everybody says on the [PGA] Tour and what they’re going to strike me with as a penalty, which is quite unfortunate in my opinion, considering what I could do for them,” he said.
When Brooks Koepka returned from LIV to the PGA Tour, he paid a $5 million fine to charitable causes, and lost access to FedEx Cup bonus money, sponsor invites to Signature Events, and the ability to access equity in the new for-profit PGA Tour Enterprises for five years.
In an exclusive interview with TG in January, DeChambeau admitted he was “surprised” that Koepka accepted the PGA Tour’s terms in their contrived Returning Members Program.
“I didn’t know he’d be willing to give that much back,” DeChambeau said. “That’s everybody’s prerogative.” It is anticipated that the pathway for DeChambeau and co. could be more difficult if LIV does indeed cease to exist next season.
But DeChambeau has a (very unorthodox) Plan B.
His US Open win two years ago means he is qualified for every major until 2028 and DeChambeau appears to be seriously considering using YouTube golf as practice for the game’s biggest stages.
“I think, from my perspective, I’d love to grow my YouTube channel three times, maybe even more,” DeChambeau said.
“I would love to. I’d love to do a bunch of dubbing in different languages, giving the world more reason to watch YouTube. And then I’d love to play tournaments that want me.”
DeChambeau also intriguingly suggested that he still wants to see a merger between the PGA Tour and LIV.
“The egos need to get dropped,” the Californian said. “Everybody needs to come in with a level-headed playing field, with an opportunistic mindset to grow the game of golf. That’s why I came over here. That’s why I do what I do on YouTube.
“A potential merger between the tours would require concessions from both sides. If we have a great business model and they’re very interested in combining forces, that’s the ‘kumbaya moment’, right? So, it’s our job to come up with a better business plan. The team franchises, there’s enough making profit now to where we could sell them for close to $200 million, and that’s not talking about my team either.
“Look, the [PGA Tour] isn’t doing great either. Let’s be honest about the situation. They’ve got the media. They’ve got everybody on the side that helps pump it up. But they’re reducing field sizes, cutting employees and restructuring their business too.”