The biggest remaining question follows The death of LIV Golf it is this: what it is Bryson DeChambeau to do
After years of great discussions, the strongest of LIV Golf suddenly needed a place to play pro golf next year.
And Rory McIlroyone of the PGA Tour’s biggest supportershe has some thoughts.
In his press conference at this week’s DP World Championship, McIlroy hit out at his long-time nemesis DeChambeau about the difficult situation he finds himself in in his career.
Bryson DeChambeau breaks silence, announces next pro start
Over the weekend, DeChambeau broke his silence for the first time since LIV Golf met its end in court last week.
His reappearance came via a long message published on his social media accounts. In the posts, DeChambeau offered some answers, but left the bigger question, where to play golf in 2027, up in the air.
First, DeChambeau offered something of an apology, admitting he “said things that didn’t help” amid the years-long pro golf civil war between LIV Golf and the DP World and PGA Tours.
He then revealed where he will make his post-LIV return to pro golf: at the DP World Tour’s Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.
“In December, I will be competing at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, the Gary Player event, in front of the fans who made my first visit to South Africa unforgettable,” DeChambeau wrote.
However, he did not reveal any decision on where he will play once the schedule returns to January.
“Beyond that, I’m going to move on to what’s next in the right way,” DeChambeau said.
McIlroy, however, sees things very differently. The six-time major champion believes his rival has a very narrow set of options available for 2027.
McIlroy sweeps DeChambeau: ‘It doesn’t look like he has many options’
The most natural place for DeChambeau to play now that LIV Golf is dead is the PGA Tour. He has won nine times on the Tour, and his fan base is anchored in the United States
The problem is DeChambeau he is not allowed to play on the PGA Tour. The two-time US Open champion is barred from competing in any Tour event for a year after his last LIV Golf start (the LIV Golf Indianapolis event in late August).
But DeChambeau makes no such ban DP World Tour. Although an American who has played very little in Europe, DeChambeau has been offered full playing privileges on the DP World Tour in 2027.
That’s the exact point McIlroy made Tuesday at the DP World Tour Championship, but he added a personal swipe to his comments.
“Honestly, look, I’m certainly not in his shoes, nor would I ever want to be,” McIlroy said of DeChambeau. “But it doesn’t seem like he has many options. You know, if he wants to play competitive golf, it doesn’t seem like he has many options.”
However, he allowed that DeChambeau playing a full schedule in Europe would be a boon for the DP World Tour.
“Yeah, well, I think a name like Bryson DeChambeau and everything that goes with it, good and bad, brings eyeballs, which is a good thing for tournaments,” McIlroy said.
DeChambeau floated the idea of not joining any tour in 2027, and instead focusing on his YouTube channel and the major championships, for which he is already qualified.
But there is another possibility that McIlroy has not acknowledged. By not committing to play on the DP World Tour next year, DeChambeau leaves it open the possibility for the PGA Tour to offer an accelerated path backlike for Brooks Koepka last year.
Whatever happens, it’s at least clear that the rivalry between McIlroy and DeChambeau is alive and well.
