Bryson Dechambeau is one year more on his contract with Liv Golf. This is clear. What is not is its future.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Oakmont Country Club, where he is preparing to defend his American open championship, Dechambeau confirmed that his contract with Liv is exhausted at the end of next season and that he was currently in negotiations on a new agreement.
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“We are trying to negotiate the end of this year, and I am very excited,” said Dechambeau. “They see the value in me. I see the value of what they can provide, and I think we will come back to a kind of resolution on this subject. Super excited for the future.”
It should be, because if Liv wants to keep it, it will have to dig very deeply in the pockets of the Saudi public investment fund.
Three years ago, near the day, Dechambeau – who, who was publicly, had publicly declared his allegiance to the PGA Tour – announced that he was leaving for Liv. For the tour supported by Saoudie, it was a coup d’etat, winning the most enigmatic figure of the game. For Dechambeau, it was a massive financial transport, which was worth north of $ 125 million.
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He would not be the only one to train huge financial gains from Liv – Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson and others have benefited from the Saudi public investment fund of almost billions of dollars – but he is undoubtedly the only golfer who has really increased his profile since his move to the Upstart Tour.
While the Rahm star has faded, Dechambeau, via his embrace of social media and his inverted heel turn on the journey of the bad guy to the man of the people, has become one of the most popular golfers on the planet. He also increased his game when he is the most important – to the majors. He won the US Open for the second time last year and succeeded in six TOP-10 in his last nine major departures.
Thus, while the lack of eyeballs, tradition and general ambivalence for Liv Golf has transformed Rahm, Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and all the other great players who took the bag to join Liv in a reflection afterwards, Dechambeau was never before and in the center. This is what makes its next movement so interesting.
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He does not seem to fail to play on the PGA Tour just like Rahm, who rents externally Liv but who would have regretted his decision to take the money and run. Regardless of the future of Rahm, Dechambeau is the first -rate player of Liv – the only guy he probably cannot let escape.
At this point, Liv loses in his battle for several years with the PGA Tour. The deep pif pockets have kept it afloat – and can keep it afloat as long as the Saudis remain interested – but if the tour will gain a relevance, it needs Dechambeau to stay in place. Losing it would mean more than losing your most popular player; This would signal to everyone – players and golf fans – that Liv is nothing more than a place to take a pay check.
To this end, Dechambeau plays the negotiation game he must play, which could prolong the wealth he has already accumulated for a few dozen additional generations.
If he had to skip the city and return to the PGA Tour, he should sit on a season, according to the current policy of the tour concerning VIV players. If he remains, he will become the best paid player in golf.
These are his options.
