As uncertainty surrounds LIV Golf, Bryson DeChambeau is adamant he’ll use his star power to help the league raise investment after acknowledging that the decision from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to withdraw funding after 2026 came as a “surprise.”
Last month, the PIF confirmed it would not finance LIV beyond the 2026 season, following a reported spend of between $5 billion and $8 billion since the league launched in 2022.
PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan also stepped down as chairman of LIV’s board in the wake of the withdrawal. The league has since installed Gene Davis and Jon Zinman to lead a restructured board, describing them as “seasoned experts with proven track records for navigating complex situations and unlocking value for global organisations.”
LIV, which postponed an event in Louisiana, scheduled for June, to a slated Fall date, continues this week in South Korea at the Asiad Country Club in the coastal region of Busan. The eighth event of LIV’s 2026 season comes after reports that the league is laying the groundwork to file for bankruptcy.
The league is pressing on, pitching a 10-event schedule to potential investors having officially entered the marketplace this week via New York-based Ducera Partners.
It is believed the target for investment is between $250 million and $350 million, while a new-look version of the league would extend equity beyond just the team captains and will have an emphasis on team golf.
Sources said more than 12 players provided introductions to potential investors, for both the league and its teams.
With all this as context, DeChambeau was asked by reporters about the PIF’s withdrawal from LIV and his optimism for new investment when he spoke with media on Tuesday.
“We were surprised that they pulled out as quickly as they did,” DeChambeau said. “We didn’t really see that coming. But that’s OK. One door closes, another opens. I think that’s the way a lot of us are looking at it. I think we all have optimism that there is a business plan that makes sense for team golf.
“I’m very optimistic with the business plan of team golf compared to other models, in my opinion.”
DeChambeau expanded on how team golf could be a point of differentiation and a catalyst for LIV to survive.
“Other models have worked, as well, so I’m not going to say that one is better than the other. But I do see value in what team golf can provide not only worldwide but also in grass rooting the game of golf. National support, team national support, city local support, we grass root ourselves there. There’s a couple ideas that we have … quite a few ideas that we have that could be interesting.
“We’ll see if investors like it or not. I’m giving all I can to make it happen, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t happen.”
DeChambeau, who won last year’s LIV Golf Korea, was asked how he manages to focus while the league tries to secure its future.
“I go out there on the first tee on Thursday and hit a beautiful drive down the middle of the fairway, hopefully,” DeChambeau said in Korea. “That’s what we’re focused on. In the background, yeah, we’re trying to help where we can, but ultimately, it’s up to executives and everybody banding together. If we all band together, there’s an opportunity here. If not, it’s going to be a different day for all of us.”
If his performance on the course is a way to decipher whether the future of LIV has been a distraction for DeChambeau, the results have been mixed. He won consecutive LIV events in Singapore and South Africa leading into the Masters, only to miss the cut at Augusta National. He finished third at LIV Golf Virginia then missed the weekend rounds at the PGA Championship at Aronimink.
Chasing a third major after U.S. Open victories in 2020 and 2024, DeChambeau is hopeful of turning his form around in time to challenge for another title at Shinnecock before wrapping up major season at the Open Championship in July at Royal Birkdale.
“I’m playing some solid golf; I’m working on my golf swing quite hard, trying to get back to that 58 level at Greenbrier [he shot 58 during his LIV Golf Greenbrier win in 2023] when I just had this golf swing that was so easy,” DeChambeau said.
“The weeks that I’ve been playing in major championships, I’ve been playing OK, just having nothing happen for me, and that’s kind of the game of golf,” he continued. “The weeks before that I played really well going into them. I won two events going into the Masters and then finished third in Virginia. So it’s not like I’m playing bad golf. I think I’m putting some pressure on myself to play well in those tournaments, and that’s the reality. Nobody is perfect, and I’m still working hard to play as good as I possibly can, and the year before I played really well in the majors, missed one cut there, and it just happens.
“That’s golf, and ultimately excited for the opportunities I have moving forward. There isn’t any quit in me, as you can see. Even at Aronimink, I birdied my first last three holes trying to make the cut there, and it is what it is.
“I’ll tell you this: I played worse golf and shot better scores at majors. It’s one of those scenarios of ebbs and flows in golf. I’m really excited for the future over at Shinnecock and overseas, as well, for the Open Championship. Head down, keep moving forward.”
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