Before Brooks Koepka’s departure, the ‘Scientist’ was already the face of the LIV Golf league. Now, he holds all the trump cards. An analysis.
First the latest news: Brooks Koepka’s return to the driving range at Torrey Pines was met with neither hostility nor enthusiasm from his former and current colleagues. At most, the LIV returnee encountered friendly indifference; Wyndham Clark, a declared skeptic of the PGA Tour’s Returning Member Program, remained low-key.
Phone Call with Tiger Woods
‘I’m excited. There will definitely be players who are happy and definitely players who will be angry. Some won’t be pleased with how things have unfolded,’ the 35-year-old said earlier. At the press conference for the Farmers Insurance Open, he expressed gratitude for the opportunity and revealed that his first call after being cleared to leave LIV was to Tiger Woods, the key figure behind the scenes at Ponte Vedra Beach.
‘I wasn’t sure how to handle things with the PGA Tour, and Tiger was the first person who came to mind, as I’ve always had a good relationship with him.’ Koepka knows exactly whose approval truly matters.
LIV Golf’s Dynamics Dramatically Shifted
Now, should this article not be about Bryson DeChambeau? It is. But without addressing Koepka’s exit first, it makes no sense. The Florida giant’s departure has drastically altered LIV Golf’s dynamics. The Saudi-backed league suddenly lost 33.3% of its key assets.
Koepka was one of the public faces to boast about: a five-time major winner, accompanied by the glamorous Jena Sims, and one of only two LIV players to win a major during their time on the rival circuit – the other being DeChambeau, 2020 and 2024 US Open champion and an exceptional figure in many ways.
DeChambeau Holds All the Cards
Third in the ranks of LIV’s valuable assets is Jon Rahm, not only from a European perspective. Beyond that, LIV’s player roster fades into insignificance: a bit of Sergio Garcia or Joaquin Niemann perhaps.
Patrick Reed stands out mostly for controversy and recently winning the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, while Dustin Johnson missing the cut there hardly mattered. Tyrrell Hatton is more interesting than Cameron Smith, and what about Phil Mickelson?
Rory McIlroy commented accurately: ‘They haven’t signed anyone who moves the needle, and I don’t think they will.’
Majors and YouTube: DeChambeau’s New Focus?
Now back to Bryson DeChambeau. LIV lives by and through the 32-year-old Texan, which isn’t always reciprocated. DeChambeau recently mentioned that he could see himself playing only majors for the rest of his career while focusing on his YouTube channel “Break 50,” boasting nearly three million followers and earning an estimated $800,000 annually, and growing.