Before Brooks Koepka’s departure, the ‘Scientist’ was already the face of the LIV Golf league. Now, he holds all the cards in his hands. A closer look.
The latest news: Brooks Koepka, on his first appearance at the driving range of Torrey Pines, was met with neither hostility nor warmth from former and current colleagues. At most, the LIV returning member was greeted with friendly indifference. Even Wyndham Clark, a declared skeptic of the PGA Tour’s Returning Member Program, has remained low-key.
Call with Tiger Woods
‘I’m excited. There are definitely players who are happy and definitely some who will be angry. Some won’t be pleased with how everything went,’ the 35-year-old had said some time ago. At yesterday’s press conference for the Farmers Insurance Open, he politely thanked for the chance and revealed that his first call after being given clearance to leave LIV was to Tiger Woods, the influential figure behind the scenes in Ponte Vedra Beach.
‘I didn’t exactly know what to do or how to approach things with the PGA Tour, and Tiger was the first person who came to mind, as I always had a good relationship with him.’ Koepka knows exactly whose approval really counts.
LIV’s Dynamics Radically Changed
But wait, isn’t this article supposed to be about Bryson DeChambeau? It is. But it can’t start without mentioning Koepka’s situation. The giant from Florida’s departure has dramatically changed LIV Golf’s dynamics. The Saudi-backed league suddenly lost 33.3% of its active assets.
Koepka was a player who commanded public attention as a five-time major champion, with the glamorous Jena Sims by his side, and one of only two LIV players to win a major during their time in the rival circuit. The other is DeChambeau, U.S. Open champion in 2020 and 2024, and extraordinary in many respects.
Only DeChambeau and Rahm as Key Assets
The third highly valuable asset in the LIV roster is Jon Rahm, not just from a European perspective. Beyond them, the LIV player roster fades into insignificance. A bit of Sergio Garcia, maybe Joaquin Niemann, but little else.
Patrick Reed stands out due to controversies surrounding him, and despite recently winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Dustin Johnson missing the cut in the same tournament went largely unnoticed. Tyrrell Hatton is clearly more interesting than Cameron Smith, and Phil Mickelson’s current role is barely recalled.
Rory McIlroy is right when he says: ‘They haven’t signed anyone who makes a difference, and I don’t think they will.’
Majors and YouTube Only?
This brings us finally to Bryson DeChambeau. LIV lives and breathes through the 32-year-old Texan. Not necessarily the other way around. Recently, BDC said he could imagine playing only majors for the rest of his career while focusing on his YouTube channel, ‘Break 50,’ which