Bryson DeChambeau could be seeking a pathway back to the PGA Tour sooner rather than later. He certainly won’t be alone in that journey; many players on LIV Golf’s roster could be looking to do the same, but the circumstances around DeChambeau’s next move are complicated.
As the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has announced that it is pulling the plug on funding LIV beyond the 2026 season, the circuit’s future is nothing but a giant question mark. LIV Golf could cease to exist in a handful of months, or it could be a dulled-down version of what it is today, and there may not really be an in between.
A natural next step for DeChambeau would be to return to the PGA Tour. That step would undoubtedly include hurdles in the shape of many different repercussions built by the Tour, but ones that would be easier to leap for DeChambeau as he’s reportedly earned well over $100 million during his time with LIV.
DeChambeau, as he so often does, is looking at the hypothetical situation through a different lens. He’s solely concerned about growing his YouTube and social media following, while also trying to build back relationships with the players who stood by the Tour’s side throughout golf’s civil war.
“If I was to film a video during the week of one of their events with a content creator or a celebrity, that would be in violation to my knowledge,” DeChambeau told Skratch ahead of LIV Virginia this week. “It’s their policy, they didn’t let me do it when I was on there. I asked various times.”
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The policy DeChembeau is referring to is the PGA Tour’s social media policy, which is something very important to the two-time U.S. Open champion, who earlier in the week explained that he would be perfectly content in focusing on YouTube and playing in major championships if LIV shuts its doors and a return to the Tour becomes murky.
“If you look at it, it’s affiliate marketing, so me being able to create content on that golf course that week at that event should only bring value to the tournament, and that’s what I care about most, entertaining like I’ve always said from day one,” DeChambeau continued.
While the media side of things will play a huge role in DeChambeau’s next career move, it’s not the only obstacle he’s personally staring at regarding a potential return to the PGA Tour. He also wants to be accepted back.
“It’s really about if the membership wants me back and if they just want me back. That’s what it’s about,” DeChambeau said. “I don’t even think it’s [PGA Tour CEO] Brian Rolapp or anybody like one of the top executives, it’s really if the players want me back and if not, then I understand that.”
It’s understandable for DeChambeau to want to be on at least some sort of stable footing with a portion of Tour players before a potential jump back into the fold. It’s also understandable for that being an impossibility.
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DeChambeau not only defected to LIV for an obscene amount of money, which put a bad taste in the mouths of many players, but he was also part of a lawsuit against the Tour following his departure to LIV in 2022. The lawsuit alleged that the PGA Tour used ‘monopoloy power’ to suspend players who left for LIV Golf.
Again, it’s all entirely complicated and will probably continue down the same path as more details about the potential return of players as we get further into the 2026 calendar year.
