Bryson DeChambeau has long been LIV Golf’s most visible and high-profile star; the standard bearer, seller and marquee in one.That’s why his latest comments should make LIV executives uncomfortable.
DeChambeau remains under contract and has committed to play the 2026 LIV season. But with his current contract set to expire later this year – and Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed already headed to the PGA Tour – DeChambeau’s future is becoming increasingly important to LIV’s long-term stability.
And in a new interview with Today’s Golfer, the two-time US Open champion gave the clearest signal yet that his loyalty to the league has limits.
A lukewarm response to Koepka’s departure
Koepka officially left LIV in late December and subsequently became the first high-profile player to return to the PGA Tour under the new Returning Member Program. That path was only extended to Koepka, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and DeChambeau – immediately sparking speculation about who could follow next.
At an LIV Media Day the following week, all three remaining stars publicly rejected the offer. DeChambeau’s response, however, was notable for the lack of enthusiasm it conveyed.
“I have a contract through 2026, so I’m excited about this year,” he said.
It was a technically clear answer – and emotionally hollow. DeChambeau has not fully defended LIV, and he notably avoided going beyond his current deal.
‘We didn’t sign up to play for 72’
In his Today’s Golfer interview, DeChambeau went further and openly questioned one of LIV’s most significant recent changes.
From 2026, LIV tournaments will expand from 54 holes to 72 – a move widely seen as an attempt to gain official World Golf Ranking points. The shift also eliminates one of the league’s defining differentiators.
While DeChambeau previously expressed public support for the change, his tone has now changed.
“It has definitely changed from what we were initially told would happen,” DeChambeau said. “So there’s a movement that we’ve all been exposed to… and saying, ‘Why that movement?’ Because we were told this was what it was going to be.”
Then came the bluntest sentence of all.
“Is this what we ultimately signed up for? No,” he said. “We didn’t sign up to play for 72.”
Although DeChambeau reiterated that he will play out his contract, he once again stopped short of promising anything beyond that.
“I have a contract for this year and we will go through it there and see what happens next,” he said.
Even as he tried to strike a conciliatory tone – calling the new format “great for our team” and expressing hope that it would grow on him – the uncertainty lingered.
“Hopefully it will reflect positively on me over time,” DeChambeau said. “But you never know.”
Not an isolated vision
DeChambeau is not alone in his skepticism. Paul Casey told Today’s Golfer that the change “wouldn’t have been something I would have changed,” while Louis Oosthuizen said the 54-hole format was “a little bit more unique.”
Together, the comments underscore a growing tension within LIV: a league built on difference that is now reshaping itself to look more traditional — and risking the buy-in of its biggest stars in the process.
The 2026 LIV golf season kicks off on Wednesday, February 4 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Whether DeChambeau will be part of LIV beyond that remains an open question.
#didnt #sign #Bryson #DeChambeaus #LIV #criticism #raises #questions #future