Bryson DeChambeau said Monday he was surprised by how fast Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund pulled future funding from Liv Golf, but the two-time major winner insisted he still sees a path forward for team golf. Speaking at a 2026 LIV Golf Korea press conference in Busan, South Korea, DeChambeau said he believes there is a business plan that can make sense if new investors decide it is worth backing.
“We were surprised that [the PIF] pulled out as quickly as they did. We didn’t really see that coming,” DeChambeau said, adding that “one door closes, another opens.”
The comments came as LIV Golf searches for fresh capital after the Public Investment Fund chose to pull future funding, leaving the circuit’s current business plan dependent on finding big-money investors quickly or risking a shutdown. DeChambeau returned to action in Busan after an ugly missed cut at the 2026 PGA Championship, and his remarks landed at a moment when the league’s future is being discussed as openly as the tournament itself. That pressure has already fed broader debate around the circuit’s direction, including recent reporting that the funding issue could force a smaller model or reshape the tour’s footprint worldwide.
DeChambeau said he sees value in what team golf can offer around the world and in helping the game grow at the grassroots level. “I think we all have optimism that there is a business plan that makes sense for team golf,” he said. “I’m very optimistic with the business plan of team golf compared to other models, in my opinion.”
He also made clear where he believes the burden belongs. “We’ll see if investors like it or not,” he said. “I’m giving all I can to make it happen, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t happen.” He added that “ultimately it’s up to the executives” to secure LIV Golf’s future, while his own job is simpler: “go out there on the first tee on Thursday and hit a beautiful drive down the middle of the fairway, hopefully.”
That split — between players trying to keep the product moving and executives trying to save the business — sits at the center of LIV Golf’s next phase. DeChambeau has at times flirted with the idea of returning to the PGA Tour, and he has also mentioned walking away from pro golf entirely to become a full-time YouTube creator. For now, he said, he is focused on the work in front of him. “But for me, how I support, go out and hit a great drive on the first tee, play a great round of golf, sign autographs after and have a good time,” he said.
The future of Liv Golf now turns on whether investors see the same promise DeChambeau does. If they do not, the circuit will have to find a smaller way to survive — or answer the harder question of what comes after the money runs out.
