RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesBryson DeChambeau on Sunday at LIV New York. Getty Images
Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com . This week, we discuss LIV’s new investors, Bryson’s two-tour request, and the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
1. LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil announced the league has an agreement in place with an unnamed investor and added there is “strong interest” from other parties for potential minority investments. O’Neil did not disclose financial terms and was mum regarding other details. While there’s still much to sort out regarding this news, how much more bullish are you on LIV Golf’s future now?
Dylan Dethier, senior writer ( @dylan_dethier ): I do feel slightly more confident that the league will continue to exist. I am not sure that makes me bullish on its future. I dunno. Its future remains shrouded in mystery.
Josh Schrock, associate news editor ( @Schrock_and_Awe ) : I guess I’m more confident that it will exist in 2027 than I was, but I don’t think the league has a real, meaningful future. It might continue for another year or two, playing 10 events with aging talent. But how much will equity in the league and smaller purses mean to players with a real competitive future? It’s hard to see LIV growing into anything meaningful.
James Colgan, news and features editor ( @jamescolgan26 ): No disrespect intended here, but I think we need to know who the investors are, how much money they’re giving, and when we’ll know for certain this agreement was signed. It’s definitely good news for the league next to the looming specter of … not having an investor. But we need more details before we can say “objectively good news.”
2. What’s your biggest unanswered question you still have about the news now?
Dethier: Why is the league going to continue?
I don’t ask this to be a jerk about it. I am genuinely curious what void in the professional golf market LIV thinks it can fill going forward. The initial version advertised a distinct new vision for golf, and its backers had unlimited funding, which was a powerful combo. LIV 1.0 also effectively declared war on the establishment, with Greg Norman at its helm, which was a compelling storyline, too. The league has plenty of talented golfers and interesting characters. They have found some special moments in Australia and South Africa. They’ve tested intriguing ideas for tournament golf. But none of it has quite stuck, and it’s not clear to me what a scaled-back version of the league hopes to accomplish going forward.
Schrock: What kind of investment did they get? Is it a loan? How will they pay players who still have money remaining on their current contract? Will the PIF agree to pay those out to avoid any legal disputes? What does it cost to retain Bryson? Why is this happening?
I think Dylan hit on the biggest one, but there’s a lot of questions that went unanswered as Scott O’Neil and LIV celebrated … something.
Colgan: What’s happening to all those unpaid contracts?!
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3. Speaking to the New York Post, Bryson DeChambeau said he’s confident in LIV’s future and that he’d love to play events on the PGA Tour as well. “I think that’s best for golf. I’d love that. It’s not an either/or mentality,” DeChambeau said. “It’s, ‘Can we do both?’ I think that’s where everybody wants to be. There isn’t a golf fan on the planet who doesn’t want to see me play a big Tour event, and I get that. I’d love to go play events that make sense, love to play team golf and love to play wherever they’ll let me.” Thoughts on these comments from LIV’s biggest star? And would this even be realistic in LIV 2.0?
Dethier: In a vacuum, the PGA Tour would love to have Bryson DeChambeau — and his legion of fans plus his propensity for controversy — in its tournaments. But this isn’t a vacuum. This is a world where DeChambeau left the Tour, sued the Tour, and now is LIV Golf’s leading man and its best chance of survival. I think the ship has sailed on a Tour-LIV agreement.
Schrock: The world in which the Framework Agreement becomes something more feels done and dusted. Bryson might want to have his cake and eat it too, but as Dylan said: he left, sued the Tour, talked badly about the Tour and is LIV’s biggest drum beater as it tries to survive. Unlike Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, Bryson didn’t exactly leave bridges unburnt on his way out. I don’t think there will be any need to make LIV 2.0 include a world where Bryson can do both. The PGA Tour and LIV are headed in different directions, and if anyone wants to come back now, they know there will be a price to pay.
Colgan: No, they can’t play on both Tours. For reasons relating to money and schedules and competitive fairness and lawsuits and grudges and like 10 million other things. But I appreciate Bryson asking the question.
News
Bryson DeChambeau wants to play LIV and PGA Tour. But 'no merger' is on horizon
By: Josh Schrock
4. Michael Brennan won the season-ending Wyndham Championship, and we now know the 70 players who are heading to the FedExCup Playoffs. What’s your most notable takeaway among the players who just made it (or just didn’t)?
Dethier: Brooks Koepka sounded disgusted with his playoff miss. I appreciated the self-assessment. It’s definitely strange to see him on the outside looking in, but I guess I’m excited to see what happens with a fire lit under him the rest of the year and into 2027.
Schrock: Jackson Koivun making the playoffs in five pro starts is gritty stuff. You could tell he was feeling some pressure on Sunday without his best stuff, but he did enough to punch his ticket to Memphis. Hype seems to be for real.
Colgan: Jordan Spieth, whose demise has been excessively covered in recent weeks, made the playoffs comfortably in 54th place. Nope, i...
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