Tranlate this title Bryson DeChambeau explains whether LIV Golf can survive losing its biggest stars in spanish

LIV Golf is approaching the end of its 2026 season with more uncertainty around its future than at any point since the league launched four years ago.

The Saudi-backed circuit has already cancelled its planned Team Championship in Michigan, while questions remain over who will provide the money needed for the league to continue into 2027. CEO Scott O’Neil has said an agreement is in place with a lead investor, but he has also admitted that LIV is working on a compressed timeline and needs enough of its leading players to commit to the next phase.

That has made the futures of stars such as Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau particularly important. Rahm has been linked with a possible return to the PGA Tour, while Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed both left LIV before the 2026 season.

DeChambeau, however, does not believe the departure of one or two more big names would automatically bring the project to an end.

DeChambeau says LIV can survive losing some of its biggest names

Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of LIV Golf Indianapolis, DeChambeau was asked whether the league could still move forward if several leading players decided to leave.

“There’s 100 per cent a way forward if a couple leave, for sure. I think it’s dependent upon the quality of players. It has to be. We can’t lose all of them, obviously. But a few can go, and there’s a system in place to where we can still have the investor raise the capital necessary based on a certain type of player and who the players are,” he said.

“And so there’s three different scenarios from what I know. Maybe there’s more, maybe there’s not, but from what I’ve heard, it’s just three different scenarios for players to be here that allow for the investment to go through.”

Those comments underline how closely LIV’s next funding deal appears to be connected to the players who remain under contract.

O’Neil confirmed earlier this month that an agreement with a lead investor had been signed and approved by LIV’s board. He said the investor would help carry and fund the league as it enters what management has described as its “next era.”

But there have also been clear warning signs. The Michigan Team Championship was cancelled, Indianapolis became the final event of the season and reports have continued to raise questions about payments and the long-term commitments of some players.

DeChambeau’s position is that LIV does not need to retain every recognizable name. What it cannot afford, according to the two-time US Open champion, is a situation where too many of its most valuable players leave at the same time.

DeChambeau believes LIV’s role in golf is changing

The 32-year-old also suggested that the league is no longer trying to position itself in the same way it did when it arrived in 2022.

“We’re not here to destroy. We’re not here to take over. We’re not here to do anything. We’re only here to bring value,” DeChambeau said.

He believes team golf can still become an important part of the sport and suggested that the format may change again in 2027 if the investment process is completed.

“Yeah, look, I think the value of the game is important to talk about, from our perspective, in regards to creating everything, bringing value to every corner of the world, in every market. And I think the zero sum game that everybody’s playing right now is not great,” he said.

“And we’re looking at it from a different lens, and we’ve got a unique perspective on it that is different from the original model, of what LIV was.”

Another sign of that possible shift is DeChambeau’s return to DP World Tour competition. He is due to play the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa later this year, his first appearance on the European circuit since 2022.

Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are also expected to return to DP World Tour events. When DeChambeau was told that there were currently no plans for conditional releases for LIV players beyond this season, he gave a short answer.

“Oh, they will,” he said.

It remains unclear how LIV, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour will fit together in 2027, but DeChambeau clearly expects the relationship between the tours to become less restrictive rather than more.

For now, the focus is Indianapolis. LIV Golf’s season finale runs from August 20-23 at The Club at Chatham Hills, where DeChambeau and the rest of the field are completing the league’s final event before what could be its most important offseason yet.