Bryson DeChambeau has cast doubt on signing a contract extension with LIV Golf.
The 32-year-old quit the PGA Tour in 2022 and signed a five-year deal with the breakaway for more than $100m.
There is absolutely no denying his popularity on and off the golf course has soared since he joined the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV.
He has been a box-office performer in the major championships and is perhaps a tad unfortunate he has not added to his two U.S. Open titles.
And his social media following is enormous, with DeChambeau boasting more than 2.5m subscribers on YouTube alone.
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LIV Golf officials will be desperate for DeChambeau to stay beyond the 2026 season when his contract expires.
But he is yet to agree terms.
It is an absolutely crucial time for the rival league and some have suggested Brooks Koepka’s recent departure could spell the beginning of the end.
Bryson DeChambeau
DeChambeau was asked about the situation by FlushingIt and he confirmed that talks are being held.
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But he would not give too much away.
“I don’t know about [getting the contract signed] before Riyadh, there’s a lot of things to go through,” DeChambeau said.
“You know, it’s a scenario that is very unique. With Brooks leaving it definitely throws in some unique things.
“And look, I mean, like I’ve said all along, I want to do this, I want to grow team golf across the globe.
“But it has to be right. And there’s a lot of things that have to be done in order for it to be right, you know?
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“Things have got to change. Things have got to improve. And I think Scott’s [O’Neil] done a fabulous job with the year that he’s had.
“And I think this year’s going to be even better, now he’s got the right people in place and he can run the organisation, the way he wants to do this here.
“So it’s going to be interesting to see, especially with the new branding coming on. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens.”
He added: “It’s where I want to be, but ultimately, it’s got to make sense for everybody.
“Because I could just do YouTube golf and be totally fine as well.”
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DeChambeau also admitted he was taken by surprise with Koepka’s decision to quit, though he had heard rumblings he was unhappy.
“I didn’t have that on my bingo card for the 23rd of December,” DeChambeau said.
“There’s also, people can look at it as an opportunity. I always look at it as when one door closes another opens, right?
“And, I’m not going to speak for LIV, but I think that’s what we’re thinking of, at least from my perspective.
“If I was running the league, I’d look at it as an opportunity, not in a negative or positive way. It’s just, it is what it is, right?”
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LIV Golf will embark upon their fourth full campaign next February.
Koepka‘s departure means there is even more recruitment to be done in the off-season.
Three-time DP World Tour winner Victor Perez and England’s Laurie Canter have been recruited in the off-season.
But LIV are still without a “marquee” signing since Jon Rahm joined in December 2023.
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Talor Gooch has been named as the new team captain of Smash GC, but will need to find a replacement for Koepka.
Phil Mickelson also needs to recruit a new teammate after Andy Ogletree was relegated.
Only a handful of LIV teams have confirmed their rosters for the 2026 campaign.
Elsewhere, LIV Golf have confirmed the full field for their “Promotions” event next month.
DeChambeau believes he can win The Masters
Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy at the 2025 Masters
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Bryson DeChambeau is now a two-time major champion.
He’ll likely believe that he is unfortunate not to have won more, given he pushed Xander Schauffele all the way at the 2024 PGA Championship and has been in the thick of it at the past two Masters.
DeChambeau finished in sixth place at the 2024 Masters and played in the final group alongside Rory McIlroy in April.
But DeChambeau torpedoed his chances of success at Augusta National when he found the water at the 11th hole.
DeChambeau told FlushingIt that there is “no question” that he can join the club as a green jacket winner.
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“It’s about doing it, though, right?” he said.
“Like, we can talk about it all day long and, you know, [Justin] Rosey’s been so close so many times, and numerous others have been close, and seeing Rory get it done was actually more inspirational to me saying, you know what? Somebody has worked so hard to win that tournament for so long, kind of the same thing with me.
“You know, I feel like I can do the same thing. I think having having a more level mindset ahead going into it, just knowing that I can execute shots more on demand than what I was able to do last year.
“You know, that hook on 11 cost me quite a bit, and it was a frustrating moment where I know I can conquer those shots.
“My iron play is usually one of the best things in my game and it really wasn’t that week. I’ve worked on my wedging now, and I figured out some cool little techniques to hopefully help my wedge play get better.
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“So, I’m quite interested to see how that plays coming in next year. But, I’m very excited about my game heading into this year.
“I’m going to have a lot of new things that you’ll see, and it’ll be quite interesting to hear people’s opinions on them and hopefully, more importantly, it works.”
DeChambeau is likely referring to some new equipment that will be added to his bag in 2025.
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