Bryson DeChambeau might have more to sort out than where he wants to play golf next season. The two-time U.S. Open champion continued backing LIV Golf’s next chapter while several familiar faces looked elsewhere. Now, the collapse of that plan could leave him with a particularly uncomfortable conversation about his own future.
DeChambeau remains one of golf’s biggest attractions. However, his popularity doesn’t answer the question of how he gets back to a regular schedule against the world’s best players. His recent support for LIV 2.0 adds another complication.
Wednesday’s reporting revealed that prospective financial backer BC Partners had abandoned its rescue plan after failing to secure enough player commitments. That leaves LIV facing liquidation and its remaining golfers searching for answers about 2027 and beyond.
On Golf Channel Wednesday evening, Todd Lewis asked analyst Rex Hoggard what comes next for DeChambeau. Hoggard pointed to a difference between his situation and Jon Rahm’s.
“I think [DeChambeau] is going to be the most compelling story moving forward,” Hoggard said.
Rahm has already expressed a willingness to accept consequences as he works toward playing elsewhere. DeChambeau, meanwhile, had continued supporting the league that was supposed to give him a home.
Rahm Has Already Started Looking Beyond LIV Golf
Hoggard explained that Rahm hadn’t immediately embraced the conditions surrounding his next move. Nevertheless, the Spaniard eventually made his intentions clear.
“[Rahm] pushed back on the idea that there was gonna be some stipulations, and some restrictions and some fines going back to the DP World Tour, but eventually, he got around to, ‘Okay, I’m going to pay these fines. I want to play the DP World Tour in 2027.’ Keep in mind, the Ryder Cup is part of that conversation as well,” Hoggard mentioned.
That doesn’t guarantee Rahm a PGA Tour return. It does, however, give him a stated direction for next season. He has acknowledged that returning to another circuit could require concessions.
DeChambeau’s circumstances look different because he was backing a future that now appears unlikely to happen. While others moved away from LIV, he remained a potential centerpiece of its proposed relaunch.
“For Bryson, I think this is an entirely different animal because he has made it clear, you’re right, it seems as if based on his comments this week, he was committed, to whenever [LIV] 2.0 was going to go,” Hoggard stated. “He was going to the one that was leading the charge. He was going to be that [star] attraction that could have made 2.0 work.”
The timing matters. There’s a difference between walking away from LIV to pursue another opportunity and needing another opportunity after LIV’s rescue falls apart. Hoggard’s analysis puts DeChambeau in that second conversation.
LIV Decision From Bryson DeChambeau Could Shape What Happens Next
Hoggard finished by identifying what could become central to DeChambeau’s next step.
“This is going to come down to what Bryson DeChambeau’s decision was when it came to going to forward with 2.0.”
That leaves an important question unanswered: How far had DeChambeau gone beyond publicly supporting the proposed league? Hoggard’s comments didn’t establish that he had signed a new agreement. They also didn’t announce a PGA Tour decision about his eligibility.
However, they explain why his case deserves attention as LIV’s remaining players consider their options. DeChambeau wasn’t simply waiting to see whether the league survived. Based on the comments Hoggard referenced, he wanted to help make its next version succeed.
His major championship credentials ensure that fans will continue following him. But four marquee weeks don’t settle the rest of his calendar.
For DeChambeau, the biggest problem is that his preferred plan appears to have disappeared. Now he needs to find out what options remain, and whether his commitment to LIV 2.0 makes those conversations more difficult.
Bryson DeChambeau Has Big Problem Amid LIV 2.0 Failure