Bryson DeChambeau's return to the PGA Tour seems likely as doubts grow about LIV Golf's future. His current contract with LIV ends this season, raising questions about his next steps.
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Bryson DeChambeau returning to the PGA Tour has perhaps never seemed more likely than it does right now, with significant doubts lingering over LIV Golf’s future.
DeChambeau is in real limbo heading into 2027. His current deal with LIV expires at the end of the current season, and it is not yet clear who is going to bankroll the league beyond this year.
Certainly, it is hard to imagine that the two-time US Open champion is going to be offered anything like the terms he was previously holding out for.
DeChambeau’s management have met with PGA Tour officials, as he tries to understand how a pathway back would look. Meanwhile, DeChambeau has made it clear he plans to give LIV every chance to convince him to stay.
But the decision could be taken out of his hands if LIV cannot find the funds to survive once the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia back away.
Interestingly, it has been suggested that PGA Tour players do not want DeChambeau back given some of his actions since deciding to join LIV in 2022.
DeChambeau has suggested that the membership will have a big say on whether he will return. So clearly, their reported stance would be far from ideal.
But it would present the American with a perfect opportunity to prove a point to those peers who have written him off.
Bryson DeChambeau's contract with LIV Golf expires at the end of the current season.
Significant doubts about LIV Golf's future stem from uncertainty over who will finance the league beyond this year.
If Bryson DeChambeau returns to the PGA Tour, he has a chance to prove that his transformation as a player is genuine.
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DeChambeau has rubbed people up the wrong way for much of his career. He has had well-publicised spats with the likes of Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy over the years.
However, he has clearly made much of an effort to change his image in recent years. And you have to say that it was extremely successful, with DeChambeau perhaps the most popular player on the planet with the fans when he won the US Open at Pinehurst in 2024.
In that sense, LIV has thrown a protective blanket around DeChambeau. There is seemingly very little negativity allowed at a LIV event, which leads many to wonder just how genuine his transformation has been.
Events such as DeChambeau complaining about McIlroy not talking to him during the final round of the 2025 Masters suggest that he is probably putting on an act a lot of the time.
Clearly, the PGA Tour players are largely suspicious of DeChambeau if they are wary of the prospect of welcoming him back into the fold.
Being back on the PGA Tour, therefore, will put DeChambeau right under the spotlight like never before. If he manages to win over a lot of players, then he would deserve a lot of credit. And those who doubt how sincere he is would be silenced.
But it would be fascinating to see how DeChambeau conducts himself if he is portrayed as the returning villain.
Some will be adamant that it is only a matter of time before the mask slips.