23 December 2023 , 08:00
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Bryson DeChambeau has claimed LIV Golf is going to become a 'dominant force' in the world of professional golf, a stark warning to the PGA Tour.
DeChambeau became one of the marquee names to leave the PGA Tour to join the LIV setup last summer. At the time tensions between the rival circuits were high, however, this rivalry has eased in recent months amid the announcement of a framework agreement in June.
The deal currently being negotiated between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) is set to see the Tour work in unison with the breakaway league moving forward.
READ MORE: Ludvig Aberg opens up on LIV Golf negotiations as PIF attempted triple swoop
Following the announcement there were some doubts on what the deal would mean to LIV, with the Saudi fund clearly keen to pledge their backing to the PGA Tour. LIV poster boy DeChambeau however has warned that the rebel league is not going anywhere, anytime soon.
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"In the end, when this is all said about LIV and done, five years out from now LIV is going to exist," he told the Good Good Podcast. "LIV is going to be a dominant force. I don't know what the landscape will look like or if it will even be called LIV, but I can say that it will be here. Team golf will be here to stay.
"I know in my heart that the team aspect will continue to permeate through the game of golf for as long as I'm alive. That's my opinion. I could be wrong, but from everything that I feel, the sentiment, the movement, the way things are headed, I do believe that LIV will be here to stay.”
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Bryson DeChambeau joined LIV Golf last summer (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)Despite the announcement of the proposed peace treaty in June, a deal between the two rivals is yet to be signed off, with their December 31 deadline quickly approaching. And whilst he is confident an agreement will eventually get over the line, the delay has been disappointing for DeChambeau.
Asked whether he feels the two tours will finally find peace, he responded: "Yeah, a thousand per cent. And they're working on it now. And it's going to be a difficult road because there's a lot of people with a lot of agendas. It's so political. And it's very disappointing. It's disappointing because something should have been done a long time ago.
"It should have been over three or four years ago and it have been unbelievable for the game of golf.” Earlier this month, the Tour revealed they had reached a second agreement as part for the new for-profit entity, but not with their Saudi partners.
Instead the Tour announced an agreement was put in place for U.S.-based investor Strategic Sports Group (SSG) to be involved in the entity, with a reported £2.4 billion ($3bn) being invested. Meanwhile, the American-based circuit claimed negotiations with PIF ere continuing amid their new partnership elsewhere.