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Bryson DeChambeau’s frustration with LIV Golf raises questions about his future.
We’re only a month into 2026, but it’s already been a disastrous year for LIV Golf. Not only did major champions Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed ditch the Saudi-backed tour to return to the PGA Tour, but now Bryson DeChambeau, the biggest star on LIV Golf, is publicly bashing the league and casting doubt about his future in professional golf.
During a recent LIV Golf event in West Palm Beach, Fla., DeChambeau expressed his frustration with LIV Golf’s decision to move its tournaments from 54 to 72 holes.
“It’s definitely changed away from what we had initially been told it was going to be,” DeChambeau told Today’s Golfer. “So there is some movement that we’ve all been, I would say, interested in, and going, ‘why that movement?’ Because we were told it was going to be this. So that’s definitely made us have some different thoughts about it.”
Uh oh.
The last thing LIV Golf needs right now is its No. 1 attraction turning against the league. This ill-advised decision could mark the beginning of the end for LIV.
LIV Golf Betrayed Its Players With Switch to 72 Holes
GettyLIV Golf needs Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau to survive.
In November, LIV Golf announced it would move to 72-hole tournaments starting in 2026. The move marks a sizeable change from the three-day, 54-hole events that defined the first three seasons of the rival golf league. In fact, the name LIV comes from the Roman numeral 54, signifying the number of holes in a tournament and the score a golfer would shoot if they birdied every hole on a par-72 course.
The shorter tournaments initially enticed players who were tired of the grueling PGA Tour schedule, so adding another day and 18 more holes to every event goes against what those players signed up for in the first place. Unsurprisingly, many of them weren’t thrilled with the change.
Speaking ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in November, LIV star Tyrrell Hatton revealed that the rival golf league asked players about switching to 72 holes in 2024.
“I think of everyone who filled it out, I think there was only three guys, initially, who had said [yes] about moving there [to 72 holes],” Hatton said, per Golf.com.
Based on DeChambeau’s recent quotes, he clearly wasn’t one of the three on board.
Bryson DeChambeau Bashes LIV Golf, Refuses to Commit Long-Term
GettyBryson DeChambeau’s frustration with LIV Golf raises questions about his future.
When the news first came out in November, DeChambeau didn’t seem to have a problem with the switch from 54 to 72 holes. After some reflection, though, he’s changed his tune. The two-time major champion might just be frustrated enough to leave LIV Golf when his contract runs out after the 2026 season.
“I’ve got a contract for this year, and we’ll go through it there and see what happens after that,” DeChambeau said. “Look, it’s 72 holes, it’s changed, but we’re still excited to play professionally and play for what we’re doing and go across the world. I think it’s going to be great for our [Crushers GC] team. Is it what we ultimately signed up for? No. So I think we’re supposed to be different, so I’m a little indifferent to it right now.
“Hopefully, it weighs positively on me over the course of time, but you never know. I’m not sure. We didn’t sign up to play for 72.”
DeChambeau turned down the PGA Tour’s olive branch to return for the 2026 season because he wanted to play out the rest of his contract. After this season, though, he’ll be open for business, and it sure sounds as if LIV Golf could let its biggest star slip away.
Jack Dougherty Jack Dougherty is an established sports journalist covering professional golf, Penn State football and the NFL with a focus on the Philadelphia Eagles for Heavy.com. His work has been featured on GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, the Associated Press, Sportscasting, Sportmoney, Pro Golf Now and Yardbarker. More about Jack Dougherty
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