LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau Believes Unity in Golf Is Near: 'There's No Way Around It Now'

The 2020 U.S. Open champion, speaking in advance of next week's LIV opener, said the deal will happen quicker than most think.
LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau Believes Unity in Golf Is Near: 'There's No Way Around It Now'
LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau Believes Unity in Golf Is Near: 'There's No Way Around It Now' /

With the LIV Golf League’s schedule set to begin next week and not all of the pieces in place, Bryson DeChambeau on Thursday was looking big picture, saying he is confident the sport will come back together via the "framework agreement" that was announced last summer but yet to be completed.

DeChambeau, the 2020 U.S. Open champion who won twice last year in LIV, believes "there is no way around it now."

"I think the deal is going to come quicker than you think," DeChambeau said during a conference call. "It might not be the next couple of weeks. Maybe a month or so. But it’s going to happen. There’s no way around it now. This is about the good of the game for the fans. The health of the game for the fans.

"As time goes on, we’re starting to see these fans are hungry for us all to come back together. I can’t wait for that day to happen."

Bryson DeChambeau interacts with fans while warming up during the first round of the 2023 LIV Golf Chicago golf tournament at Rich Harvest Farms
Bryson DeChambeau won twice last year in LIV and believes all the top players will be back together soon :: Jamie Sabau/USA TODAY Sports

When it occurs and how it will unfold all remain mysteries as the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia—which funds LIV Golf—are said to be working through discussions.

The Tour has also engaged Strategic Sports Group (SSG), a private equity company, to possibly be part of what would be PGA Tour Enterprises, the new for-profit company that would be formed separate from the PGA Tour—as was spelled out in the initial framework agreement announcement.

DeChambeau’s media availability was tied to the LIV Golf Las Vegas event in two weeks, which follows the opener at Mayakoba in Mexico next week. The tournament is being played in the same town as the Super Bowl and will start on Thursday and end on Saturday.

"I think it’s us trying to create a spectacle for the United States to see," DeChambeau said. "I can’t wait to see the response that week from football fans and Las Vegas fans in that environment."


Published
Bob Harig
BOB HARIG

Bob Harig is a senior writer covering golf for Sports Illustrated. He has more than 25 years experience on the beat, including 15 at ESPN. Harig is a regular guest on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio and has written two books, "DRIVE: The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods" and "Tiger and Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry." He graduated from Indiana University where he earned an Evans Scholarship, named in honor of the great amateur golfer Charles (Chick) Evans Jr. Harig, a former president of the Golf Writers Association of America, lives in Clearwater, Fla.