There is a fine line between confidence and delusion. It is not yet definitively clear where the powerbrokers of LIV fall in their optimism around Bryson DeChambeau’s future.
But make no mistake, they believe he is sticking around despite the thick rug of Saudi money being yanked from beneath their feet and apparently rendering such an outcome impossible.
To speak to senior sources within their hierarchy at the PGA Championship this week, there are two lines of thought to emerge on that theme: one is predictable, which is an acknowledgement that DeChambeau’s departure at the close of their 2026 season, when both his contract and the Saudi backing expire, would have brutal consequences for the rebel league.
The other is that he wants to stay, with the phrase ‘to the end’ being written repeatedly in the messages of reassurance he has sent their way, according to those with knowledge of the correspondence. Blind faith in hollow words might be the only choice available at this stage.
LIV’s next steps will be key in determining if the end of their controversial existence is nigh. Daily Mail Sport understands it was the Monday after the Masters, five weeks ago, when Scott O’Neil, their CEO, was informed by an associate of Yasir Al-Rumayyan that the Saudis were calling it quits and a further fortnight before the formal announcement of their withdrawal.
There is optimism among LIV Golf bosses that Bryson DeChambeau will stay
Daily Mail Sport understands that the US golfer could be offered equity in the competition
It was somewhat surprising to hear from one source that Al-Rumayyan, the Newcastle United chairman who once described LIV to the golfers as his ‘baby’, has not been directly in touch with O’Neil at any stage since the decision to abandon ship was made.
The subsequent five weeks have seen O’Neil and his team plotting how such a wildly expensive concept might be rescued by private equity, assuming any new investors could even be tempted to a project too costly even for Saudi Arabia. We understand that the coming week will be relevant to the search, with the league being ‘brought to market’ in the form of more detailed discussions with interested parties.
In this area, as with the future of DeChambeau, they feel some confidence that others might mistake for something else.
Certainly, the events on the course here have been favourable. DeChambeau missed his second straight major cut, but heading into the final round it was notable that LIV golfers had offered a rare show of strength on the leaderboard. Aside from the marquee presence of Jon Rahm, other rebels in the top 20 included Joaquin Niemann, Martin Kaymer and Cameron Smith.
Considering how each of those names has been derided for their performances on the four biggest stages since joining LIV, there was an unmistakeable irony to seeing them thrive now that their home tour is locked in an existential crisis. The optimist’s view would be that a LIV winner might assist forthcoming negotiations with potential investors, but the greater onus will fall on a business model that doesn’t haemorrhage money.
Our sources confirmed prize money will be among the areas taking a substantial hit – pots of $30m for each of the 14 tournaments was never sustainable, either for LIV or the rival tours forced to keep pace. A senior source from outside LIV believes the amount might drop closer to $10m to trim the massive overheads, but that is unconfirmed. Also under consideration is a reduction in the schedule from 14 tournaments.
Those changes alone might reduce the appeal of LIV to those, like DeChambeau, who have the relative freedom of an expiring contract and options elsewhere. He has recently grumbled about the sanctions he would need to accept to return to the PGA Tour, which will be stiffer than those he rejected when Brooks Koepka made the same retreat earlier this year.
LIV Golf boss Scott O’Neil (left) is desperately searching for funding to save the competition
Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan sent an associate to tell O’Neil that Saudi is withdrawing its funding at the end of this season
His alternative is to accept what he can get from LIV, which is unlikely to be anything close to the $500m sweetener he once reportedly craved to re-sign. Intriguingly, sources have told Daily Mail Sport that one makeweight in place of hard cash might be equity in the league itself.
If LIV somehow make progress in their forthcoming investor talks, that might be alluring to DeChambeau, but he is amply intelligent to know that equity in a dead dog is worthless. Only time will tell on an enigmatic man who has publicly stated he is not averse to filling his days between majors by creating YouTube content.
Any shift in DeChambeau’s thinking has been tough to detect this week – he refused all media requests throughout his stay at the tournament.
As for Rahm, who still has two years to run, the picture is more complicated. At LIV’s recent event in Virginia, he spoke like a man who is keen to know if there are any off-roads in his contract. Similarly, Dustin Johnson, who recently re-signed, was at a loss when asked what might happen next season, or if there will even be a next season.
‘I have no f****** idea right now,’ said the former world No 1. ‘I think Scott’s doing a good job. Your guess is as good as mine with what happens next year.’
It is hardly a solid foundation upon which any player might wish to commit a future. And without players committed to the long haul, those investor conversations become harder still.
But O’Neil has internal support, for whatever that might be worth currently. He addressed the players in Virginia earlier this month and one onlooker claims at least a dozen LIV rebels approached him in the aftermath with favourable feedback. With greater business savvy than predecessor Greg Norman, there is an acceptance that LIV’s historical largesse and potential demise is not the fault of O’Neil.
And yet he is still squarely in charge of a ship taking on vast amounts of water. Selling the merits of a spot onboard is no easy task, irrespective of how optimistic they claim to be about the possibility of rescue.
