Bryson DeChambeau is pulling out all of the stops in his negotiations with the PGA Tour.
After the Saudi Public Investment Fund withdrew its support for LIV Golf next season, DeChambeau was seen speaking with PGA Tour officials about his options for a potential return. And it became immediately apparent that he wasn't going to make it easy for them.
He made it clear to the PGA Tour that he's willing to step away from competitive golf and focus on content creation full-time, playing only the major championships. DeChambeau seems unwilling to come to a deal with the tour as Brooks Koepka did, saying it's a shame if he wasn't allowed back because of "what I could do for them."
The two-time major winner then took it a step further. DeChambeau said the PGA Tour "wasn't doing great", citing the recent layoffs the tour has made, 56 to be exact, and the reduction in field sizes for Signature Events.
After those comments, DeChambeau has been told he's walking a dangerous line.
Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images
It seems DeChambeau is desperately trying to build some leverage in his negotiations with the PGA Tour. Not only has he created a legitimate scenario in which he doesn't need the tour if LIV folds, but he's also telling them why they need him.
But in doing so, he might be severing whatever relationships he has left with the tour by proving to be more trouble than he's worth. That's according to Ryan Lavener on the Golf Channel Podcast with Rex and Lav.
He explained, "I did think it was telling that he described what would be the potential punishment for the PGA Tour as 'quite unfortunate.'
"We do not have specifics, that was not a monetary amount or necessarily about what his status was going to be, or being excluded from the equity program for five years, which is what Brooks Koepka has had to do. He just called them 'quite unfortunate.'
"He said 'especially considering what I could do for them'. If you are the PGA Tour, and you are hearing Bryson DeChambeau talk about the one-man entertainment show that he can bring to the PGA Tour.
"He is talking about how the PGA Tour is not doing all that well either, when you look at their models and what could or could not be unsustainable purse increases. You look at the trimming of the workforce that the larger PGA Tour has had to do as well.
"Those comments cannot sit well. If he is setting up this high-stakes game of chicken, I would be very curious to see if the PGA Tour might want to call his bluff, and Bryson DeChambeau is actually genuinely content going down the YouTube route, and if that is how he's going to be playing in the major championships until 2029, let him.
"That avenue might keep him fresh heading into the majors, it might be [a disaster]. Go ahead and find out. And see if all of a sudden, after a year or two of being irrelevant on the world's biggest stage, if he is singing a bit of a different tune.
"You have a player in Bryson who is being antagonistic with how he's regarding the PGA Tour and certainly being a bit egotistical in how he is viewing his importance.
"I don't think the PGA Tour needs to bring back these players. Would it be helpful? Would it be a boom? Certainly in the short term. But long-term, where they are in their careers? What they can accomplish? Can they be replaced over time? Yeah. I think since 2022, you have seen these players can be replaced.
"I think it's a really dangerous avenue that Bryson DeChambeau is trying to go to. Essentially goading or taunting the PGA Tour to not bring him back, thinking there is going to be some fan revolt if he is not brought back."
It does seem like DeChambeau has massively overplayed his hand already, and overvalued his importance to the PGA Tour. He'd have done well to show some humility, as Koepka did, and negotiated a similar deal, but it seems like that ship has sailed.
Because of LIV Golf's funding troubles, LIV Louisiana has been postponed. That leaves a nearly two-month gap in the LIV schedule, right in the middle of the major season. That's a disaster for many LIV players, who will arrive at Royal Birkdale with very little competitive practice.
But for DeChambeau, it's the opportunity of a lifetime. He can step away from competitive golf and focus on content creation full-time for two months. He'll only have the US Open to play before The Open Championship.
If he then turns up to Birkdale and plays well, contending for the win, then that's the best evidence he can hope for that he'd be able to compete for majors as a YouTuber.
However, if he plays poorly, then the leverage remains with the PGA Tour, as they have yet another bargaining chip against DeChambeau. They could confidently say that his plan would not work.
So how DeChambeau performs at Birkdale could decide his future for the next three years. No pressure!
