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Bryson DeChambeau believes team model can be profitable with right leadership (Pedro Salado/LIV Golf)
Bryson DeChambeau has spoken. For the first time in weeks, the two-time major champion who went silent as LIV Golf navigates a bankruptcy process to re-invent itself, went on a podcast and reiterated his support of the league in the wake of several high-profile stars departing.
DeChambeau, who has long championed the team model employed by LIV Golf, leaned into the fact that his Crushers team has been profitable. Speaking on the “Figuring Out” podcast, DeChambeau said: “I really care, and I still do care deeply about the team golf stuff.”
When LIV Golf launched in 2022, the team golf concept was a big part of its business plan, with the stated goal of selling “franchises” that would be operated by owners who would run them within the league structure.
Through five seasons, no teams were ever sold, although each operated with a general manager, with revenue derived from sponsorship sales and prize money funds via the weekly team purse and season-ending team championship.
Also in today’s DD …
Repeat Asia-Pacific winner Laopakdee earns Masters, Open returns
Race is on to determine DPWT 2026 champion and PGA Tour card earners
DeChambeau might have been a bit hyperbolic when declaring that his Crushers team was a “financial success.”
“The top co (company) just wasn’t really managed that effectively. And I know that now,” DeChambeau said on the podcast. “I didn’t know that during the time. Our teams were doing very well. Like our teams, we generated almost $29 million last year in revenue. We had $21 million in costs just from payment of players and expenses and travel and everything.
“So we made $8 million EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) last year. And the teams were doing well, but then all the player payments and everything got pushed down to the teams when they went bankrupt because the top co wasn’t being run effectively.”
There’s a good bit to unpack there, not the least of which being that all of that is not necessarily the reason why LIV Golf is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. When the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia announced earlier this year that it would no longer be funding LIV to the tune of billions already spent, it left league CEO Scott O’Neil scrambling, with creditors owed millions and revenue sources scarce.
Its $30 million weekly purses ($20 million to individuals and $1o million to teams) along with a large buildout and an expensive TV presentation extended way beyond revenues.
O’Neil has spent the last six months trying to shore up investment and has a deal with BC Partners to invest reportedly $300 million in a LIV 2.0, provided certain benchmarks are met.
DeChambeau’s claim that his team made $29 million didn’t come with a breakdown. Nearly $14 million of that sum came from prize money awarded each event as part of LIV Golf’s overall purse structure, which saw $10 million earmarked for the teams each week. Without that, by his own numbers and expenses, the team would have lost money.
His Crushers team had three victories worth $3 million each and other payouts which totaled more than $4 million for the other nine tournament weeks.
“No fault to each other, it’s just we thought that there was a lot more capital that was going to be at play with the guys that were funding it,” DeChambeau said. “And it didn’t work out.”
Whether that is viable in a new league with fewer stars in which such generous funding won’t, in theory, be as abundantly available remains to be seen. But DeChambeau believes that accepting a new structure where players get equity in the league and there are no signing bonuses to drain resources is a more sound approach.
That, also, could be why players such as Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Louis Oosthuizen, Sergio Garcia, Brendan Grace and — the latest announced on Sunday — Bubba Watson have confirmed their departures.
“The business model makes a lot of sense,” DeChambeau said. “And we’re actually working through that right now for this new model where it will make full financial sense. It’s no funny business, no nothing. It’s going to be done right. And this is going to be a league, hopefully, that exists forever. It’s not combative.
“We’re not trying to compete against the (PGA) tour. We want to be accretive (increasing growth). We want to bring value to anywhere and everywhere in the golf market across the world. And so, you know, that whole LIV situation was great. We had to get upfront payment because we had no real governance. If we knew they were going to control how this thing was run, like we had to get paid
“And so we did. And then this time around, it’s more the opposite. We’re not really getting paid, but we do have the governance, you know, control.”
LIV Golf has yet to announce a player roster or schedule for 2027. A handful of players have committed to the league, which is waiting to announce players.
The league has floated a minimum of 10 events with 75 players and 36-hole cuts. It is touting that a majority of its events will have purses that are higher than those on the DP World Tour with prize funds between $5.5 million and $9 million.
However, the league also faces some strong headwinds as the DP World Tour decided it would not allow its members to participate in LIV Golf events (the PGA Tour has done that since the league’s inception in 2022) and has unveiled a non-specific sponsor invite program for formers league players who do not join LIV Golf.
In the short term, the LIV bankruptcy process continues, with further updates expected this week.
Thailand’s Fifa Laopakdee celebrates his repeat victory at Asia-Pacific Amateur (Courtesy AAC)
This week in golf …
Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship: Thailand’s Fifa Laopakdee finished at 6-under par to successfully defend his title and earn returns to the Masters and Open Championship with a three-shot victory over New Zealand’s Zack Swanwick at Te Arai Links South near Auckland, New Zealand. “I feel like I’m more proud of myself this year because I never stopped believing in myself, even though I had a tough year,” said Laopakdee. “I literally didn’t win a single thing since March. I just keep telling myself that I’ve still got it.” The 11th hole delivered a decisive four-shot swing, as Laopakdee birdied while Swanwick tripled, turning Swanwick’s two-shot lead into a two-shot deficit. “It was a huge momentum shift,” Laopakdee said. “My hand was shaking, knowing that I was leading again. I just told myself to play like I was behind, not the leader. Still be aggressive but also play smart. I think I played it perfectly coming down the stretch.” The gap increased to four after Swanwick bogeyed 14 and Laopakdee birdied 17 before Swanwick made his only birdie of the day at the last.
Laopakdee is the first player to win consecutive Asia-Pacific Amateurs since Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama in 2010-11. He is the third player to win it twice, as China’s Yuxin Lin won in 2017 and 2019. “That feels amazing to join the club,” said Laopakdee, a senior at Arizona State. “Hideki has played a huge part in golf for Japan, and also Asia. Being able to win back‑to‑back like him is a huge honor. And yeah, I mean, he's a great player. I hope to follow his footsteps.” Laopakdee raced to the first-round lead with a course-record 8-under 63 on Thursday. Swanwick stormed from nine behind through 18 holes to take a two-shot lead heading to the final round after consecutive 67s. But the Kiwi’s closing 75 opened the door for the Thai’s 1-under 70 to seal the deal.
VidantaWorld Mexico Open: Andrew Novak turned a six-shot 54-hole lead into a relatively stress-free five-shot victory in PGA Tour’s FedEx Fall event in Vallarta, Mexico. Novak shot 61 and 62 on Friday and Saturday to open a commanding lead at Vidanta Vallarta. He down-shifted with a 2-under 69 on Sunday to finish at 25-under, but nobody got closer than three strokes. Steven Fisk and Kristoffer Ventura finished tied for second at 20-under. Novak and Fisk
climbed to 53rd and 54th respectively in the FedEx Fall standings, which will likely get them both in the first two signature events on 2027 West Coast swing.
Maybank Championship: Japan’s Miyu Yamashita successfully defended her title at the LPGA Tour’s event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, beating China’s Yan Liu by two strokes. Yamashita, ranked No. 4 in the world, won for the fifth time since June and second straight start after claiming the LET’s Aramco Korea chammpionship three weeks ago. The 2025 AIG Women’s Open champion also won the Meijer LPGA Classic and CPKC Women’s Open this summer along with a Japan LPGA event.
Grand Final 2026: France’s Julien Sale registered a four-stroke victory over Denmark’s Hamish Brown in the HotelPlanner Tour finale at Club de Golf Alcanada in Mallorca, Spain. Hamish and Sale finished 1-2 in the final Road to Mallorca standings, with the top 15 earning full DP World Tour status for 2027. Scotland’s Marc Warren tied for fifth to climb inside the top 15, bumping England’s Matthew Southgate to 16th. American John Catlin finished fourth to climb to 19th in the standings, earning conditional status on the DPWT.
Simmons Bank Championship: South Africa’s Darren Fichardt staved off Zach Johnson in matching final-round 64s to win the PGA Tour Champions playoff event at Pleasant Valley CC in Little Rock, Ark., by one shot. Fichardt eagled the last hole to earn his maiden senior victory. Johnson was trying to win his seventh PGA Tour Champions event of the season as a rookie, which would have tied him for the record with Bruce Fleisher (1999), Lee Trevino (1990) and Bruce Crampton (1986). He has one more chance to match the rookie record at the season-finale Charles Schwab Cup Championship next week in Phoenix, Ariz.
Portugal Legends Championship: South Africa’s Jean Hugo surged as former Open champ Paul Lawrie faltered in the inaugural Staysure Legends Tour event at Pinheirinho GC in Portugal. Hugo’s course-record 10-under 62 in the final round earned him his second senior victory in a month, winning by six shots over England’s Greg Owen. Lawrie — who won the 1999 Open at Carnoustie where Hugo made his professional debut — shot a closing even-par 72 and tied fifth.
Wistron Ladies Open: South Africa’s Casandra Alexander won the Ladies European Tour event at Sunrise G&CC in Taiwan by three strokes over England’s Hannah Screen after a final-round 64. It is Alexander’s fourth career LET title and third victory in five appearances this year including the KPMG Women’s Irish Open and Buccellati Ladies Italian Open.
Patrick Reed and Eugenio Chacarra vying for multiple prizes (Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Stage set for DPWT’s fortnight finish in UAE
The DP World Tour’s two-week Race to Dubai playoffs start this week in Abu Dhabi, and the stakes are high for players trying to win the season-long points race and others trying to lock up PGA Tour cards for 2027.
Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra leads Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy in the race to win the season-long title.
Chacarra is trying to join Seve Ballesteros (six-time winner) and Jon Rahm (2019) as the only Spaniards to top the European circuit’s standings that date back to 1972. Reed could become just the second American to claim the Race to Dubai trophy, joining Collin Morikawa (2021).
Then there’s McIlroy, trying to win his fifth consecutive crown and tie Colin Montgomerie’s record eight Order of Merit titles. Montgomerie won seven consecutive from 1993-99 and captured his eighth in 2005.
While all eyes will be on the race at the top of the standings, an arguably weightier competition is for the 10 PGA Tour cards on offer to the top-10 finishers not otherwise qualified on the American tour. With the PGA Tour swtiching to a two-tiered system starting in 2028, it could be the last opportunity for 10 DP World Tour players to gain full status onto the top golf tour. The PGA Tour hasn’t determined how many, if any, will be on offer in 2027.
If the race ended today, the 10 cards would go to three former LIV golfers as well a former grocery store delivery driver.
Chacarra and Reed — both former LIV stars — are already locks to get their cards with a commanding points position atop the standings. Chacarra has won three times on the DPWT this season, overtaking two-time winner Reed two weeks ago after winning in India. Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, a former Ryder Cupper and nine-time DPWT winner who also joined LIV Golf in 2022 before returning to the DP World Tour prior to the 2024 season, sits 12th in the standings and in position to pick up a PGA tour card at age 41.
Holding down the last spot at 14th in the standings heading into this week’s Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship at Yaz Links is Joe Dean, who’s famous for moonlighting as a delivery driver for Morrisons supermarket in England to help afford traveling to compete on the globe-trotting European tour. Dean, 32, won the inaugural on-site Last Chance Qualifier for a spot in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in July. He claimed his maiden DPWT win a month later in the British Masters.
Dean will be challenged the next two weeks by a handful of players hungry to get dual membership on the world’s two most prominent tours including Spain’s Nacho Elvira (15th) and Angel Hidalgo (17th), South Africans Hennie du Plessis (18th) and Shaun Norris (20th) and England’s Dan Bradbury (19th).
South African’s Casey Jarvis (4th) and Jayden Schaper (8th) are in strong position among the top-five in the chase for the card. Jarvis, 23, is the youngest prospective dual member and has been firmly in the hunt since winning twice in February in Kenya and South Africa. Schaper, 25, was a junior prodigy who also sparked his run with consecutive DPWT wins last December in South Africa and Mauritius.
New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier, 28, bolstered his chances by climbing to seventh in the standings with a runner-up three weeks ago in India followed by a T11 finish a week later in South Korea.
Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen, 27, won the British Amateur in 2024 and passed on his Masters invitation after earning his DP World Tour card via Q School later that year. While Olesen has never won as a pro, his consistency has him at ninth in the R2D standings with 14 top-20 finished including nine of his last 10 starts. He reached the DP World Tour Championship and finished 11th as a rookie in 2025 and shared the first-round lead in the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Also clinging to top-10 positions at the moment are England’s Andy Sullivan (11th) and Finland’s Oliver Lindell (13th). Sullivan, 39, played on Europe’s 2016 Ryder Cup team and is enjoying a bit of a career revival in 2026. Lindell, 28, has only missed two cuts in 2026 and has two runner-up finishes this summer at the KLM and Danish Opens.