Bryson DeChambeau is eager to make amends for his recent performances at Major championships, and his start at the US Open is doing just that.

After missing the cut at The Masters and PGA Championship, questions had been asked of DeChambeau...

However, one thing that is certainly not in doubt is his ability to hit a phenomenal tee shot, and he delivered just that once again at Shinnecock Hills.

There's still plenty of golf to play this week, but DeChambeau can be proud of a birdie he made on the 12th hole in New York, named Tuckahoe due to the road running through it.

The 32-year-old bombed a driver from the tee box right down the fairway, bouncing across the aforementioned road, and saw the shot roll out to a whopping 427 yards.

That left him just 45 yards from the pin on the par 4 and, after using his wedge to get on the green, DeChambeau sank his birdie attempt to move under-par.

DeChambeau has a new TaylorMade driver in his bag this week at Shinnecock, and it looks like it's serving him well so far.

He would follow that up with another birdie on the 13th, but dropped a shot after misjudging his approach shot to the green on the 15th, before then recording another bogey after sending his putt wide on the 16th..

It's worth noting, that the 427-yard shot narrowly missed out on becoming DeChambeau's longest-ever drive by just one yard. He previously hit a 428-yard drive at the Travelers Championship back in 2020.

Bryson DeChambeau is in the headlines again but for once, it’s not because of speculation about his future on LIV Golf. Instead, it’s due to a potential new addition to his golf bag in a crucial slot.

Two new TaylorMade Qi4D Proto 200+ drivers were added to the USGA conforming list on Monday and it now looks like they were designed with the scientist’s specific needs in mind - as he has been spotted testing them this week in New York.

The USGA website confirms the drivers have a carbon fiber clubface just like that on the core Qi4D driver used by Rory McIlroy.

They’re also both in 7 degrees but have slightly different weight configurations - one model has two weight ports that split 7g weights at the front while the other model has 3 weight ports comprising two 7g weights and one 4g weight.

Bryson DeChambeau is a free equipment agent and is therefore able to play what he chooses. If designed specifically for him, the chances are the 200+ refers to the fast ball speeds the American is able to generate.

Tour average is 175mph but DeChambeau has achieved ball speeds in excess of 215mph when competing in long drive tournaments.

Deachambeau had been using a 6-degree Krank Formula Fire driver with an LA Golf Bryson series shaft but with the LA Golf company no longer trading, it appears DeChambeau is seeking a change in this crucial area of the bag.

The timing is curious given we’re entering peak Major season but with two missed cuts in the first two Majors, clearly some sort of change is needed.

It’s not known currently how much testing DeChambeau has done with the driver before arriving on the grounds at Shinnecock Hills.

TaylorMade is yet to comment on the new driver models - we’ll update this story with more info as we get it.

Brandel Chamblee believes that LIV Golf's future being "in flux" has negatively affected Bryson DeChambeau's Major form this year, and believes he's trying to work out a way to return to the PGA Tour.

The clock is ticking on LIV Golf trying to secure fresh funding, and DeChambeau is actively involved alongside CEO Scott O'Neil in trying to bring in new investors with the Saudi PIF withdrawing its funding.

DeChambeau, whose contract expires at the end of the current season, has spoken of his determination to help LIV Golf survive, but has also admitted that he was uncertain of what his future could hold if it doesn't.

And Golf Channel analyst Chamblee believes that the two-time Major champion is trying to work out a way he can secure a PGA Tour return.

"The distraction of LIV being in flux and Bryson… from what we can all sort of read between the lines, is that he's trying to figure out a way to come back to the PGA Tour, or at least that's what we're hearing through the grapevine," Chamblee said on a Golf Channel media call ahead of the US Open.

DeChambeau has two wins on LIV this year but two missed cuts in the Majors, and Chamblee believes LIV's uncertain future may have something to do with that form.

"So, just being in flux, I think it's hurt a lot of players' games," added Chamblee. "And maybe that is the larger point of what's going on with Bryson this year, is that he's completely in a state of flux. He'd put so much in to LIV, and now it's up in flames.

"There’s a lot of doubt as to where he's going to be next year. So maybe that is the larger part of it, and it's just playing out with his short game, and his iron play is just completely off."

Bryson has to figure out what he wants to do

DeChambeau won his second US Open in 2024 after seemingly getting a boost in form after joining LIV - something Chamblee attributes to him being able to spend more time practising.

US Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk agrees that DeChambeau's faltering Major form this year could have something to do with the LIV Golf situation.

"I think he's done an amazing job as staying as competitive as he stayed," Furyk said of DeChambeau, who may well return to Ryder Cup duty at Adare Manor next year.

"So, obviously, this year's a little different. He’s been a big supporter of LIV and loves the team golf concept, maybe the fact that it seems like the funding's down, or maybe that's not going to be in place next year.

"He's got to answer a lot of questions these days. He seems to be obviously a little bothered by that as well, and, talks about maybe not coming back to the PGA Tour could be affecting his game."

Furyk warned against writing a player such as DeChambeau off though, adding: "Then again, he might go and just tear it up at Shinnecock."

Golf Channel present Rich Lerner added that DeChambeau could be at a crossroads in his career as he decides what his next move is, as he has a few options.

DeChambeaus has spoken about the very real prospect of doing YouTube full-time and only playing in the Majors, while he could stick with the new iteration of LIV Golf or try to return to the PGA Tour.

"These are prime years, and I think he has to make a determination exactly what does he want," said Lerner. "I think it's okay to want to be a YouTube giant, to, as he likes to say, to grow the game.

"But Majors in this sport are how legacies are written, and I don't think he can afford to let too many more slip away. We’re halfway through what could be a lost season here for Bryson, so he needs to figure it out. What does he want to be? What does he want to do?"

Bryson DeChambeau is known for his willingness to experiment to get his game into shape, and this week’s LIV Golf Korea was no different.

DeChambeau recovered from a disappointing one over in the third round at Asiad Country Club with a five-under final round that saw him miss out on a playoff with winner Joaquin Niemann and Talor Gooch by just one shot.

Following the third round, DeChamebeau had a late-night stint on the range as he attempted to iron out swing issues that have been hampering him for some time.

However, according to the two-time US Open champion, it wasn’t necessarily that work that prompted his vast improvement on Sunday, but possibly AI, with the American revealing he sought assistance from Google’s Gemini.

After the final round, he said: “I was slamming the club in the ground, trying to figure out what to do. I was frustrated. Been trying everything in my body. I didn't actually figure it out on the range.

“I went back and started talking to Gemini and trying to figure out just what it could be to passively make the club turn over.

“Hands just felt like they were moving forward like this and I couldn't get the club to turn over. Even if I tried to stop it here, it still wouldn't turn over.

“So I left kind of frustrated and learned later that night that I just needed to relax my grip pressure and let the thing just fold over naturally. I'm still working it out. I don't have the answer.”

Despite DeChambeau’s swing issues, he is still having a successful season, with his placing of third in Korea coming after victories in Singapore and South Africa.

Meanwhile, even though he narrowly missed out on the sixth LIV Golf title of his career in Busan, his performance helped his Crushers GC line-up win the team title for a record 10th time.

That is something he admitted is hard to take in. He said: “I don't even know how to process that. I don't even know what it means we're the first to really do it.”

He added: “How do I process it? Just grateful, super grateful that I've got amazing guys, an amazing team. We all click in different ways, but we all work to make our team the best out here.”

While that team milestone gave DeChambeau his latest memorable moment of 2026, there have also been some significant low points this year, not least missed cuts in the first two Majors of the year, The Masters and the PGA Championship.

Even though DeChambeau admitted that his consultation with AI hasn’t given him all the answers just yet, he will be hoping that his final round proves that, two weeks before his chance of winning the US Open for the third time, his game is heading back in the right direction.

Bryson DeChambeau admits he was surprised the Saudi Arabian PIF pulled its funding of LIV Golf so soon but says he is optimistic on the league's prospects of finding new investment.

The league is currently said to be pitching a new business model to potential investors, with Axios reporting it is seeking $250m to continue operating in 2027.

LIV's biggest star Bryson DeChambeau is currently in the final year of his contract and is currently considering what next for his career.

What DeChambeau decides to do from 2027 remains a big question mark, especially after he recently told the Katie Miller Podcast that he was unsure over whether to continue playing pro golf or moving into full-time content creation.

"I'm in that weird space right now, I don't know what to do, either content creation or professional golf," DeChambeau said on the Katie Miller Podcast.

“I don’t know what to do right now... If you're up at that level in content creation they are very, very similar [the finances]," he added.

The Californian is defending his LIV Golf Korea title this week in Busan, where he was asked about the league's future following the PIF pulling out last month. He says he is "very optimistic" for LIV.

"We were surprised that they pulled out as quickly as they did," the two-time US Open winner admitted.

"We didn't really see that coming. But that's okay. One door closes, another opens. I think that's the way a lot of us are looking at it.

"I think we all have optimism that there is a business plan that makes sense for team golf. I'm very optimistic with the business plan of team golf compared to other models, in my opinion.

"But again, other models have worked, as well, so I'm not going to say that one is better than the other, but I do see value in what team golf can provide not only worldwide but also in grass rooting the game of golf.

"National support, team national support, city local support, we grass root ourselves there. There's a couple ideas that we have -- quite a few ideas that we have that could be interesting.

"We'll see if investors like it or not. I'm giving all I can to make it happen, and if it doesn't, it doesn't happen."

He is said to be heavily involved in LIV's future but maintains his goal this week is to focus on the golf and have a good time.

"I go out there on the first tee on Thursday and hit a beautiful drive down the middle of the fairway, hopefully. That's what we're focused on," he said.

"In the background, yeah, we're trying to help where we can, but ultimately it's up to executives and everybody banding together. If we all band together, there's an opportunity here. If not, it's going to be a different day for all of us.

"But for me, how I support, go out and hit a great drive on the first tee, play a great round of golf, sign autographs after and have a good time."

Bryson DeChambeau says he's still uncertain about what direction his future will head amid all the uncertainty over LIV Golf's survival.

DeChambeau also making headlines for his thoughts on the moon landing was not on our golfing bingo card for 2026.

And yet, the two-time Major champion has been making waves for his thoughts on space travel just as much as his future plans if LIV Golf folds.

DeChambeau's latest media appearance came in a wide-ranging interview on The Katie Miller Podcast where he talked about everything from golf with President Donald Trump to playing golf on the moon.

DeChambeau did not speak to the media at the PGA Championship as he missed the cut at Aronimink - with the backdrop of LIV Golf's future being in the balance as the Saudi PIF prepares to end its funding.

LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil says DeChambeau is heavily involved in the search for new funding, but the man himself did not sound so certain when he spoke to Katie Miller about his future.

"I'm in that weird space right now, I don't know what to do, either content creation or professional golf," DeChambeau said on the Katie Miller Podcast.

“I don’t know what to do right now.”

It was a throwaway comment with DeChambeau laughing but it also serves to underline the huge uncertainty around both the player and the league right now.

DeChambeau has previously said he could just do YouTube golf and play in the Majors, and insisted that financially the rewards for being a top men's pro golfer and content creator were about the same.

"If you're up at that level in content creation they are very, very similar," he added.

DeChambeau questions moon landing

One reply DeChambeau is going viral for though is his response to whether he thought astronaut Alan Shepard did actually play golf on the moon during the 1971 Apollo 14 mission.

“Oh, conspiracy theory, I don’t know,” DeChambeau laughed.

“Look, Elon [Musk] says we’ve definitely gone there, so I tend to go that route because he’s the man that knows quite a bit about all that,” DeChambeau explained on the Katie Miller Podcast this week.

“Artemis just went around the moon. I do believe if we spent a lot of our resources like they say we did, I think we did.

"I don’t think the footage is real, but I think we did go to the moon. I don’t know about the footage, it’s quite wild.”

Bryson DeChambeau is having a brilliant season with LIV Golf, including two wins on the circuit so far in 2026.

However, that form didn't translate to The Masters, while he also struggled in the opening round of the PGA Championship.

At Augusta National last month, DeChambeau was left frustrated by a disastrous triple bogey at the 18th hole of his second round to miss the cut.

Any hopes he had of putting that disappointment behind him at the PGA Championship already appear to be in serious doubt following a six-over 76 in the opening round at Aronimink Golf Club, his worst score to par in the tournament.

That left the two-time US Open champion languishing near the foot of the 156-player leaderboard, even trailing several club pros.

Beginning at the 10th tee, DeChambeau endured a poor front nine by his standards, making the turn at four-over.

While things settled down for him with a run of six consecutive pars, it was a bogey on his 16th of the day that ended the run, rather than his first birdie.

It got even worse for DeChambeau on his penultimate hole with a double bogey, leaving him on seven over, before he completed his round with a birdie to give him something to hold on to ahead of Friday.

DeChambeau has plenty of work to do to make the weekend, though, and is in danger of missing back-to-back cuts at Majors for the first time since 2017, when he failed to make the weekend at both the US Open and The Open.

DeChambeau’s struggles on Thursday also continue a recent trend of poor opening rounds at Majors.

At the 2025 US Open, while defending his title, DeChambeau was three over after the first round, while he was seven over following a first-round 78 at The Open. DeChambeau was also four over after the first round of the 2026 Masters.

That means that, in his last four opening rounds at the big events, DeChambeau has a combined 20-over-par.

If there is one glimmer of hope for DeChambeau as he prepares for his second round, it is that despite his calamitous start at The Open last July, he recovered brilliantly over the remaining three rounds to finish tied for 10th.

He'll be desperate to find a similar response to avoid heading away from his second Major of 2026 two days earlier than he had hoped.

Claiming the coveted PGA Championship title is one of the four steps any golfer needs to take if they want to become a Grand Slam winner.

The second Major of the golfing season is unique in that it's the only Major that only allows professionals to compete, giving it an extra air of prestige.

The event has been running since way back in 1916, when a match play format was used, before converting to strokeplay in 1958 and becoming the tournament we know and love today.

Of course, with great prestige comes great payouts, and the PGA Championship purse is naturally among the biggest in the golfing world.

Winning the Wanamaker Trophy is one thing, but landing a share of the huge purse is a very nice bonus indeed.

While Jack Nicklaus holds the records for the most wins at the PGA Championship (during the strokeplay era), he doesn't come close to featuring on the all-time list of top earners from the event.

Interestingly, when we look at the top 10 earners in PGA Championship history, there are two golfers who haven't actually won the tournament.

Justin Rose takes tenth place, with earnings of $3,540,011 across a whopping 23 events. The British star's best finish at the PGA Championship was a tie for third back in 2012, which earned him $384,500.

Bryson DeChambeau is also on the list in seventh with earnings of $4,636,217. He's racked up that impressive amount from just eight involvements in the PGA Championship, with back-to-back second place finishes in 2024 and 2025 earning him $2,837,332 alone.

It probably doesn't come as much of a surprise, at least when you really think about it, that Brooks Koepka is at the top of the PGA Championship money list. He's won the tournament more than anyone else in the past couple of decades with three triumphs coming in 2018, 2019, and 2023.

Koepka is clear out in front, too, with earnings of $9,456,726 from 13 events putting him well ahead of Tiger Woods, who comes in second place with winnings of $7,354,862 from 23 events.

Woods did win the tournament four times (in 1999, 2000, 2006, and 2007), but the money on offer back then is nothing compared to where the game of golf is now.

With 32 involvements, Phil Mickelson is the golfer in the top 10 who has featured in the PGA Championship the most, and his earnings of $6,510,066 put him third in the all-time list.

That's not much of a shock considering Lefty also made the cut in 27 out of those 32 events with two victories.

He's followed by another two-time winner, Rory McIlroy. His wins in 2012 and 2014 earned him a combined $3,245,000 towards his total of $6,349,228 over the years.

Rounding out the top five is 2025 PGA Championship winner Scottie Scheffler. That win secured Scheffler $3.42m last year, and he's already earned $6,152,768 from just six events.

The rest of the top 10 includes Justin Thomas ($5,672,581) thanks to his two victories at the PGA Championship in 2017 and 2022.

2015 champion Jason Day ($4,369,608) is in eighth place and Xander Schauffele, who won in 2024, comes in ninth with earnings of $4,363,822 across nine involvements in the PGA Championship.

Another triumph this year for McIlroy or Scheffler would send them to the top of the pile ahead of Koepka, but that man will be desperate to add a fourth title to his name and extend his lead at the top of the money list.

Bryson DeChambeau says he is confident of finding a "solution" in his LIV Golf contract negotiations, days after it was reported he had meetings discussing his options if he left the Saudi-backed circuit.

According to Brody Miller of The Athletic, DeChambeau recently met with "organizations to discuss possible options if he chose to leave LIV" at the end of his contract, which is in its final year.

The reports arrive amid concerns over the future of LIV Golf, with The Financial Times the first to state the Saudi PIF is set to withdraw its backing of the team-based circuit later this year.

That would suggest another nine-figure contract for its biggest star would seem unlikely, but DeChambeau seems keen to pen a new deal despite the recent reports.

The two-time US Open winner told Flushing It Golf that as long as LIV Golf exists, he will "figure out a way for it to make sense."

“We're still working on a potential contract. I haven’t given up on that and I think there will be a solution," he said.

"But as of right now, my job is to help make the league work after this year. I just feel like I have a responsibility. I've put a lot of effort into it. So that’s what I’m going to do, we’re going to make this work.

“As long as LIV is here, I would figure out a way for it to make sense.”

It puts the pressure on CEO Scott O'Neil to keep the circuit running beyond this season, which would be in doubt if the Saudi PIF does indeed pull out.

He seemingly confirmed the news in a TNT Sports interview last week, before it was taken down and re-uploaded without that specific section included.

No official announcement by the PIF or LIV Golf has been made in regards to next season's funding, with O'Neil reportedly telling the industry at The Masters that LIV was fully funded until 2032.

At its Mexico City event last week, the league stated it is $100m ahead of last year after five events. Sponsorships and partnerships revenue is said to be up 40%, with 2025 partnership revenue surpassing “half a billion” US dollars.

LIV Golf is believed to have generated over $1 billion globally to date after spending more than $5bn, and has a long-term goal of turning its 13 teams into billion-dollar franchises.

O'Neil said earlier this year he expects LIV to turn a profit in the next 5-10 years.

The league is believed to be exploring minority or full stake sales for up to two teams in 2026, while ten of its franchises are expected to be profitable this season as well as four of its tournaments.

Sources with knowledge of LIV Golf operations have confirmed that funding and operations are continuing as planned.

Speaking to Flushing It Golf, DeChambeau admitted LIV is being "squeezed and punched" at the minute but he plans to do his best to make the league and his Crushers GC franchise work.

“There's a lot of moving parts like in any business. It’s a startup, right? And so there's going to be times where we're squeezed and punched. This is one of those moments," he said.

"But I'm going to do everything in my power to make it work and I really see the value in franchise golf.

"And, you know, another reason why I'm doing this is not just for myself and the team aspect that I really believe in on the Crushers side. It's for Michael LaSasso. It's for Caleb Surratt. It's for Josele Ballester. It's for David Puig.

"Jon, Phil, DJ, myself and the guys that have been here from the start, we’re okay. It’s now our responsibility to take care of these kids that believe in us. That’s why I'm really doing it.

"There's so much value to squeeze out of this whole thing for golf in general.”

The next tournament of LIV Golf's 2026 schedule, LIV Golf Virginia, gets underway on May 7th at Trump National Golf Club, Washington, D.C.

Jon Rahm leads the standings after wins in Hong Kong and Mexico City, with Singapore and South Africa champion DeChambeau in 2nd.

Bryson DeChambeau has withdrawn from the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City after feeling discomfort in his wrist during Saturday's play.

The Crushers GC captain released a statement on social media explaining the decision.

He wrote: “I experienced some discomfort in my wrist during yesterday’s round and have decided to withdraw from the final round of LIV Golf Mexico City to prevent further injury.

"Not how I wanted this week to go, but wishing the Crushers a strong finish. I’m going to take a few days to get evaluated and hope to be ready for LIV Golf Virginia.”

DeChambeau’s withdrawal brings to an end a frustrating week for the two-time US Open winner, having also criticized the course conditions at Club de Golf Chapultepec during the first round.

DeChambeau headed to Mexico City looking for his third consecutive LIV Golf title, having gone back-to-back with wins in Singapore and South Africa.

However, he hadn’t been at his best all week, with two even par rounds of 71 followed by a two-over 73 on Saturday to leave him 16 shots behind leader Jon Rahm.

DeChambeau’s underwhelming performance also came immediately after the disappointment of missing the cut at The Masters after beginning the Augusta National event as one of the favorites to win the Green Jacket.

LIV Golf Virginia begins on May 7th, giving DeChambeau almost three weeks for his wrist to recover, where he will be hoping not only to come through it unscathed but also with one eye on his next Major appearance, which comes the following week at the PGA Championship.

While DeChambeau didn’t confirm which wrist was bothering him, it isn’t the first time he has struggled with one of the joints.

Almost exactly four years ago, he underwent surgery on his left wrist to repair a fractured hook of the hamate.

Although March was a success, April has not been a good month for Bryson DeChambeau, as the LIV Golf star continues to struggle on the course.

Despite being fancied for a shot at the top prize at The Masters, DeChambeau missed the cut at Augusta National with a score of six-over-par through Thursday and Friday.

Now, he's back on the LIV Golf circuit teeing it up at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City, and his fortunes have not improved.

Amid intense speculation over the future of the breakaway tour, CEO Scott O'Neil insisted LIV Golf will continue this season as normal.

The show must go on, it seems, but DeChambeau does not appear to be too happy with the way the show is going right now.

It all started on the 16th hole on Thursday, as DeChambeau found himself in a greenside bunker, with his escape then not going to plan.

Not only did his shot fly out of the sand, across the green, and into the spectators on the other side, but from there the American found patchy grass and dried mud.

While his ball was in a decent lie atop the turf, the 32-year-old very vocally shared his complaints about the course conditions.

"You got destroyed grass," he said. "Oh, this is rough? Definitely good to see."

DeChambeau then called over a course official to get a second ruling on the situation.

"Guys, this is what we're playing with apparently," he added. "You've got to have a rule here. It's unbelievable, absolutely out of the question."

Given the rule in golf is you play the ball as it lies (unless in extreme circumstances), DeChambeau's protest was rightly waved away and he had to finish the hole from the rough.

Wedge shots weren't the only obstacle for DeChambeau this week. The big-hitter struggled on the greens, too.

During round two, on the 13th hole, DeChambeau had what appeared to be a rather simple tap-in for birdie but missed the hole entirely. Looking at the ground in exasperation and holding out his hands searching for answers, DeChambeau seemingly wanted to blame the course once more.

He was disappointed earlier in the round, too, with a chance for eagle on the 3rd passing him by. After driving the green in impressive fashion on the 390-yard hole, DeChambeau sent a long putt agonizingly close, but the ball rolled around the hole and landed eight inches away.

To be fair to DeChambeau, in this instance, he made light of the miss, giving a sarcastic thumbs up before smiling and tapping in for birdie.

He currently sits at level-par for the event and is T31st for the week with two rounds left to play.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp insists he doesn't know what the situation is with LIV Golf's future, but was keeping his options open on possible return pathways for the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm.

LIV Golf boss Scott O'Neil says the season is going ahead "at full throttle" in the wake of reports of the Saudi Arabian PIF planning to end funding in the team golf tour.

Reports are circulating across the media of the PIF being on the brink of winding down its investment in LIV Golf, with the most likely scenario so far being that it would come at the end of the 2026 season.

LIV Golf Mexico, the sixth event of the season, is taking place this week as planned and no official comment has been made - but the possible demise of LIV Golf would open up a huge can of worms in terms of the biggest star players and their futures.

As luck would have it, PGA Tour boss Rolapp just happened to be a guest on Trey Wingo's show (talk about great timing) where he was asked about the possible returns of Rahm and DeChambeau.

“I’ve always said on this subject I’m interested in doing whatever makes the PGA Tour better," said Rolapp, who was asked about the possible pathways open for Rahm and DeChambeau back to the PGA Tour.

"Fans want the best players playing together. I’ve always said that from day one when I took the job.

"Having said that, I don’t know what the circumstances are. Once there’s clarity we’ll cross that bridge, but we’re clearly not there yet."

Brooks Koepka was given a fast track back to the PGA Tour, with certain heavy financial penalties involved, while Patrick Reed has to wait until later this year, with the current rule meaning he can play 12 months after his last LIV appearance.

You'd imagine something similar to the Koepka deal would be afforded to the likes of Rahm and DeChambeau if they do want to return to the PGA Tour, but what would happen to other LIV players would be a far more complicated proposal.

And in any case, it's all still speculation, with even the most well-respected publications reporting that LIV Golf will continue until at least the end of the season.

And even if the PIF does withdraw funding, with O'Neil insisting LIV Golf's turnover is increasing, there could still be the prospect of garnering funding from elsewhere.

For now, confusion is king and even Rolapp says he's just reading about the latest developments like everybody else.

“I’m like everybody else, I’m just reading things as they come across," Rolapp told Wingo. "I don’t know what’s going on. It would be premature for me to speculate, so I don’t have a lot to say.

"I just see the same stories everybody else sees. As I’ve said, we’re pretty focused on what we’re doing here and how we’re making the PGA Tour better, so that’s clearly where my focus is,” he said.

Golf Monthly has contacted LIV Golf for comment.

April is not only Masters month for the world of golf, it's also a time to reflect on the past financial year and see which golfers have earned the most money.

With massive prize funds given out each week across the PGA Tour, the LIV Golf League and the DP World Tour, the best players in the world are racking up huge bank balances throughout the season.

Rory McIlroy has just added another $4.5m to his career earnings thanks to his incredible triumph at Augusta National. That'll give him a nice head start for next year's totals, but it doesn't help him surpass one other golfer for the 2025-26 tax year.

The data comes from Sportico, breaking down the earnings of the top-10 highest paid golfers in the world, with details as to how much they earned on the course and off it through sponsorship deals and the like.

McIlroy was in the top two, and led the way in off-course income, but it's actually Jon Rahm who earned the most in total for the last year.

Rahm benefits massively from his contract with LIV, of course. It is though the Spaniard was offered $300m to join the breakaway tour, with half paid upfront and the other $150m paid equally across the years of his contract.

Last year, Rahm is said to have earned a total of $102m, and is the only golfer to break the $100m barrier. Of that figure, $92m came from on-course earnings, with another $10m in sponsorship payments.

The 31-year-old didn't actually win an event throughout the LIV Golf season in 2025, but he still claimed enough points to come out on top in the individual leaderboard. That earned him a massive $18m, which is exactly how much he beat McIlroy by in the money charts.

McIlroy is arguably the most marketable golfer in the world, especially after his remarkable double Masters win. It speaks volumes that McIlroy's net worth was thought to be around $294m in 2023, and will be much higher now.

But, for 2025-26, he is reported to have earned $84m from golf. $29m of that comes from event payouts, while a whopping $55m comes from off-course deals. That actually makes McIlroy the leader in commercial income, narrowly beating Tiger Woods.

Still, McIlroy's closest competitor is Scottie Scheffler, who recorded $81m in earnings last year. Not surprisingly, given his dominance on the Tour, $51m of that came from winnings on the course, while he's thought to have earned a huge $30m from sponsorship deals with the likes of Turtlebox, Nike, TaylorMade, and Huntington Bank.

Looking elsewhere, there's quite a gap between that top three and the rest of the top-10 highest paid golfers. Bryson DeChambeau is next in line, but his earnings stood at around $65m, with $45m of that coming from his lucrative deal with LIV.

Woods, as we mentioned, is the second highest-earner when it comes to commercial deals. $54m of his total came from that side of the game, while only $200,000 was earned from his performances on the course.

Rounding out the rest of the top-10, Tommy Fleetwood enjoyed a successful year thanks to his Tour Championship win in August. That netted the Englishman a mega $10m payout which contributed to his $42m earnings.

Joaquin Niemann is the third and final LIV golfer in the top 10. The Chilean won five events last year, so it's not surprising that he's up there, with earnings of $41m in total.

Beyond that, we have Hideki Matsuyama sitting at $31m. That's largely thanks to his endorsement portfolio, which contributed $25m. Xander Schauffele ($30m) and Collin Morikawa ($28m) complete the list.

Highest-Paid Golfers 2025-26

The 2026 Masters looks like one of the most wide-open in years with some of the big tournament favorites all having question marks around them.

And there's a recent trend around Masters champions that would rule out a host of the big guns at Augusta National this week if it holds true.

As the recent stats say you can't win The Masters if you've had more than a week off before heading down Magnolia Lane to tackle Augusta National.

If that run continues then the likes of defending champion Rory McIlroy, two-time winner Scottie Scheffler, former champions Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed and the in-form Bryson DeChambeau all have no chance this week.

Two weeks off too long to win The Masters?

It's a strong trend too, with only two of the last 20 Masters winners having more than a week off before claiming the Green Jacket, and none of the last 11 champions - according to stats maestro Justin Ray.

The LIV Golf contingent have had no option as the last event on their team golf tour took place in South Africa three weeks ago, meaning Rahm and DeChambeau, along with Tyrrell Hatton, have had two full weeks off.

After trekking around the globe playing in the Middle East, Australia and Asia that doesn't seem like too bad a plan at all - and both Rahm and DeChambeau have been in brilliant form - but this trend says that it is too long a break to take.

All the LIV Golf players, along with former LIV man Reed, also haven't even teed it up in the USA this year yet, which could be seen as a bit of a negative for their chances.

PGA Tour players usually fit in one of either the Houston Open or Texas Open following The Players Championship to have one last tune-up for Augusta and ensure they have no more than a week off.

That's not the case for a large number of well-fancied players though, with Matt Fitzpatrick taking the full two weeks off after winning the Valspar - as has Xander Schauffle after finishing fourth at the same event.

Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland and Patrick Cantlay are another three to have had two weeks off, along with FedEx Cup leader Jacob Bridgeman who is fancied to do well on his Masters debut.

He won't win it though if this stat holds, with Bubba Watson the last man to take a fortnight off before winning The Masters in 2014.

McIlroy, Scheffler & Rose have had lengthy lay-offs

While that's bad enough, this year there are some big names that have taken even longer off before heading to The Masters, for various reasons.

And as the AP's Doug Ferguson points out you have to go back to Adam Scott in 2013 to find a Masters champion crowned after a three-week break from golf.

This then brings in World No.1 Scheffler, who has just welcomed his second child to the family, and current Green Jacket holder McIlroy who has to end that long run if he's to become just the fourth back-to-back Masters champion.

But it doesn't end there, as Players Championship winner Cameron Young hasn't teed it up since winning at TPC Sawgrass while Collin Morikawa hasn't been seen since withdrawing from the PGA Tour's flagship event with a back injury.

We can add Masters runner-up Justin Rose to that mix as well as he's not played since Sawgrass, while former champion Patrick Reed, who always seems to go well here, hasn't played for a month.

Reed last played at the Joburg Open on the DP World Tour after leaving LIV as he's not yet allowed to return to PGA Tour action. He'll definitely be on the rusty side but his course form could help him.

That's still a lot of big names that are battling against the recent rust factor, among other things, and the sheer amount of them means we likely could see an end to this run, but it does bring a few doubts for the usual suspects and could make this one of the most open Masters tournaments in years.

Everybody wants to know who's going to win The Masters this year. It's a question that many experts will be asked in the coming days and it's an answer many will provide before the first tee shot on Thursday, April 9.

One of the people most firmly qualified to give their take on such a query would be legendary sports broadcaster Jim Nantz, who has uttered the immortal words "hello friends" at every Masters since 1989 and came up with the spine-tingling "McIlroy has his Masterpiece" quip just 12 months ago.

And during CBS Sports' pre-Masters call on Monday, the 66-year-old offered up a couple of names to those potentially considering a wager this time around. Though, admittedly, should either win the returns will not be seismic.

Nantz said: “I think if you had to pick one guy, [Scottie Scheffler] would be the guy, and probably right behind him would be Bryson. Just given his recent track record."

However, the broadcaster's DeChambeau recommendation arrived with a fairly notable caveat.

Nantz continued: “I have to confess, I have not seen Bryson hit a single shot this year. I have not seen him, so for me to say what his form looks like, all I can go off is the YouTube videos I’ve watched with my son.

"That’s all I’ve seen. Busy doing our own coverage, so I haven’t seen him play. But I know his desire to win there. I know Bryson quite well through the years, and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him in a Green Jacket one day.”

DeChambeau is likely to begin this year's Masters as one of the biggest favorites, with most bookmakers offering prices of between +1000 and +1200 at the time of writing.

In contrast, Scheffler can be found at between +450 and +550 while second favorite Rory McIlroy is priced at between +900 and +1200 at this stage.

Part of the reason for DeChambeau is on plenty of people's radars in 2026 is because of consecutive top-10s at Augusta National to date and back-to-back wins in the LIV Golf League already this term.

Less than a year on from the two-time Major winner's T5th result alongside McIlroy in the final group, DeChambeau has begun this season in red-hot form and is on a two-tournament win streak thanks to triumphs in Singapore and most recently South Africa.

The Californian defeated Jon Rahm in a playoff at The Club at Steyn City last time out, a week after seeing off Richard T. Lee - once again in extra holes - at Sentosa Golf Club.

And it's that form, coupled with two much improved showings at The Masters recently, which has caused DeChambeau to be tipped heavily this time around - a stark contrast to even just a few years ago when he twice failed to play the weekend in successive starts.

After claiming low amateur honors at Augusta National in 2016, DeChambeau had struggled for form at The Masters for several years - lacking a single top-25 - until 2024 when he bagged a T6th.

Having accumulated plenty of experience and knowledge of the course now, DeChambeau appears a different prospect these days and could seemingly out-perform even last year's display when he looked likely to challenge McIlroy until falling away during the final round.

However the 32-year-old performs, at least Nantz will finally watch his first live shot of DeChambeau's 2026 season very soon.

Rory McIlroy has revealed an astonishing exchange with Bryson DeChambeau in Sunday's final round at The Masters last year that may explain the tension between the pair.

McIlroy finally achieved his career Grand Slam on that scintillating Sunday at Augusta National, with his focused demeanour the polar opposite of DeChambeau's more outgoing persona.

DeChambeau famously said after the round that McIlroy didn't talk to him all day but the Northern Irishman has another side to the story he reveals in his upcoming Amazon Prime documentary titled 'The Masters Wait'.

The incident came on the ninth green when both men noticeably stood around for some time deciding who was to attempt their makeable birdie putts first.

According to McIlroy, he thought "it very clearly was my putt" but DeChambeau thought he was further away and should putt first as both balls were a similar distance from the hole.

"It was a very gamesmanship-y matchplay thing," McIlroy explains in a clip of his Masters documentary released by Amazon Prime Video. "Really, both of us want to putt first, because if you can hole your putt before your opponent has his turn, it puts pressure on them."

It's then that DeChambeau came up with his solution to the problem that was unorthodox at the very least, especially for a Sunday at The Masters.

“He [DeChambeau] goes ‘so why don’t we just throw a tee up for it to see who goes first?’ I’m like ‘no', this is the final round of the Masters, this isn’t some game on a Tuesday afternoon somewhere.

"I wasn’t going to wilt in that situation, I was going to stand firm. So I said, ‘there’s a referee over there, why don’t we get him up to come and measure?’ And he said, ‘no, no, it’s fine. You can go anyway. I don’t care’.”

What do you think of the situation? And do you prefer McIlroy's focused approach or DeChambeau's more emotional demanour? Let us know by joining the conversation below...

As is the way with golf, McIlroy knocked in his putt for a three and DeChambeau went and missed his as he fell four shots behind his playing partner, and would never recover enough ground.

And it's a moment that McIlroy believes was the catalyst for the American falling out of contention at Augusta.

"I felt like that was a really big moment and I was proud of myself for holding my ground," McIlroy added. "I felt like Bryson wasn’t really a factor in the tournament after that point."

The two traded opinions on the final round after that - with DeChambeau saying that McIlroy "didn't talk to me once all day" on Sunday, which obviously contradicts the events McIlroy talks about.

McIlroy responded to DeChambeau saying he was simply focused on what he needed to do, insisting it wasn't anything personal to do with DeChambeau.

“I don’t know what he was expecting," said McIlroy. "Like, we're trying to win the Masters. I’m not going to be his best mate out there."

McIlroy's never previously talked about the ninth green incident though so it will be interesting to see if he elaborates further on it or if DeChambeau has any comment when he is no doubt quizzed on it either before or at The Masters.

It's the latest evidence of the clash of styles and personalities between probably the two biggest names in golf right now - and will add another layer of intrigue to the opening Major of the year coming up. You get the sense this story isn't over just yet.

Rory McIlroy: The Masters Wait is released on Amazon Prime on Monday March 30.

Bryson DeChambeau says just a 5% improvement in his wedge play will give him a better chance of winning The Masters this year - and the early signs show he's heading in the right direction.

DeChambeau changed his wedges last week and it worked wonders as he won the LIV Golf Singapore event despite still trying to figure out what his final set-up will be.

Unusually for DeChambeau he's switching to more regular sized wedges, but more true to form he's "trying anything and everything" in terms of grooves and bounce to figure out his best configuration.

After "starting from scratch" in finding his best wedge set-up, he said he improved in Singapore and felt even better in the opening rounds in South Africa - and showcased that with a slam dunk chip-in during Friday's second round.

"We're just going through everything as much as possible and trying to isolate the biggest problems in my wedge game," said DeChambeau.

"If I'm five more percent consistent, I have a better chance than what I did last year at the Masters.

"I took that last Masters as an opportunity to learn how to become a better iron play and a better wedger. I feel like most of it was there. Just a couple fine-tuning moments and continue to ball strike it the way I have and hopefully I give myself a good chance."

DeChambeau finished T5 at Augusta last year when playing in Sunday's final pairing alongside winner Rory McIlroy, when his approach play stood out as his major flaw.

The two-time US Open champion actually led the field in Strokes Gained: Around The Greens, but was third-worst out of everyone who made the cut in terms of SG: Approach.

So it's no surprise DeChambeau has targeted iron play and wedging into greens as his focal point for improvement, and despite building from the ground up he's happy with the progress.

"After Hong Kong I said, I have to throw all my wedges away and let's try it again. Let's start from scratch. So I started from scratch," DeChambeau explained at LIV Golf South Africa

"I went to short wedges with a steel shaft and a lot of bounce, no bounce, different groove textures in the face - it went quick because the testing process should not be a long process.

"It should be one or two golf balls, that didn't work or that did work, and you move on to the next one, and then you start to wean it down to the last few and all of a sudden you're like this one is out-shining everything. That's what I've done with the driver.

"Long story short, to say I felt something a lot better in Singapore and then I've just worked on it and it's gotten a little bit better.

"Sometimes it's just trying anything and everything to find that one percent. Like Anthony Kim talks about, getting one percent better every day.

"But it's definitely helped having more bounce, and I got pretty lucky, so we'll see. I've got two sets and one has got lower bounce and one has higher bounce for Augusta, depending on conditions. So we'll see."

DeChambeau's short game has certainly been on in South Africa as he shot 63-65 to lead by two heading into the weekend.

It's sometimes hard to keep track of what clubs Bryson DeChambeau is using, as he's a player who has no problems in mixing up his bag from week to week in an effort to perfect his line-up and find those marginal gains.

The 32-year-old recently parted company with LA Golf, and we reported yesterday that he was trailing different wedges at LIV Golf Singapore, where he has just secured his fourth individual title with a playoff win over Richard T Lee at Sentosa Golf Club.

We imagine that his Bettinardi wedges passed the test, although with Bryson, you never quite know what he's up to behind the scenes.

For now, here's DeChambeau's winning what's in the bag and the full details of all the clubs that the two-time US Open champion was gaming at LIV Golf Singapore.

Driver

The Crushers GC captain stuck with his trusted Krank Formula Fire LD driver at Sentosa Golf Club, with the six-degree model bent down to five degrees.

This is a driver that we tend to see more of on the long drive circuit, but it's one that the big-hitting American has tailored to suit his game - and we all know just how much of an advantage he can gain off the tee.

First introduced at LIV Golf Greenbrier in 2023, where DeChambeau fired a final round 58, the Formula Fire LD is a seriously quick model and possesses a Project X Prototype D70 shaft in his driver.

Fairway Woods

At Sentosa, DeChambeau stuck with the same fairways woods that he has been gaming for some time, specifically Krank Formula Fire fairway woods in a 3-wood and 5-wood set-up (10° and 13°).

It was the 3-wood that he used on the final hole in regulation play, when he crunched a 300-yard drive and made the routine birdie that he required to force the playoff.

DeChambeau says that he favors the Krank product due to the increased curvature of the face it possesses, which helps with gear effect on his mishits at his high levels of speed.

Irons

As with every other club in his bag, the irons DeChambeau plays are anything but standard.

The weapons of choice right now are a Bryson DeChambeau prototype made by Avoda Golf. In terms of set-up, he has a 3-iron down to pitching wedge.

DeChambeau uses a single-length set, which is designed to promote consistency of address position and also consistency of swing plane, and they feature LA Golf Bad Prototype shafts.

Wedges

Ahead of LIV Golf Singapore, it was at the bottom end of the bag where DeChambeau made some key changes, with Bettinardi wedges coming in for what could yet be just a one-off trial.

A wedge change might be considered a fairly big deal, but DeChambeau looked comfortable with his new setup as he displayed all of his short game skills at Sentosa Golf Club.

In came a Bettinardi HLX 5.0 Forged (50 degrees bent to 49 degrees) and Bettinardi HLX 5.0 Forged (56 degrees bent to 54 degrees) with a Ping Glide 4.0 wedge (60 degrees) seemingly keeping its place.

“I didn’t really get to test the wedges, but they feel good,” DeChambeau said after his opening round. “Practice, they felt great. It’s going through the turf a lot better from the fairway.

“I am trusting of that, and hopefully that new bounce I’m using is going to be a benefit to me in softer conditions. That’s really what I’m struggling with.”

Putter

DeChambeau also looked comfortable on the greens, with the LA Golf SIK Pro C-Series Armlock staying in the bag.

The nine-time PGA Tour winner started tinkering with arm lock techniques in 2017, and he has become a very handy putter as a result.

We believe his flatstick features a heavy LA Golf shaft and JumboMax JMX Jumboflat 17 grip.

Golf Ball

DeChambeau used to play the Bridgestone Tour B X ball, but the contract he had with the manufacturer came to an end when he signed for LIV Golf.

The big-hitter now plays with a Titleist Pro V1x (Left Dash Model), which is built specifically for the high ball flight and spin that characterizes his game.

Bryson DeChambeau WITB: LIV Golf Singapore Winning Clubs

• Driver: Krank Golf Formula Fire LD (5°) with a True Temper Project X Prototype D70 shaft
• Fairway Woods: Krank Golf Formula Fire (10° & 13°) with LA Golf Bad Prototype shafts
• Irons: Avoda Golf Bryson DeChambeau Prototype (3-PW) with LA Golf Bad Prototype shafts
• Wedges: Bettinardi HLX 5.0 Forged (50° & 54°), Ping Glide 4.0 (60°) with LA Golf Bad Prototype shafts
• Putter: LA Golf SIK Pro C-Series Armlock 
• Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash

Rarely does a week go by without Bryson DeChambeau making some sort of equipment change, or tweak, to his gear line-up, and he’s been tinkering again as he looks to add LIV Golf Singapore to his CV.

In fact, his latest equipment change is a fairly big one, with the two-time US Open champion opting to play with Bettinardi wedges, as reported by Matt Vincenzi, senior reporter at LIV Golf.

It’s not easy staying on top of Bryson DeChambeau’s what’s in the bag these days, and that was before he severed ties recently with LA Golf.

It seems no club is safe in the Scientist’s bag, and it’s the wedges that have been under the microscope at Sentosa Golf Club, where DeChambeau heads into the final round one shot behind co-leaders Joaquin Niemann and Lee Westwood.

When we last checked in on the American’s bag, he was playing with a 50-degree Ping S159 wedge and Ping Glide 4.0 wedges.

However, with just a few weeks to go until DeChambeau looks to try and get his revenge on Augusta National (he finished tied fifth on a disappointing final day last year), he appears to have mixed things up at the bottom end of his bag.

As per Vincenzi, the 32-year-old is gaming Bettinardi’s HLX 5.0 Forged wedges, with the 50-degree bent one-degree less and the 56-degree wedge bent two-degrees less.

It’s always fascinating to hear from DeChambeau when he’s in the process of making a change, and here’s what he had to say following his opening round in Singapore.

“I didn’t really get to test the wedges, but they feel good. Practice, they felt great. It’s going through the turf a lot better from the fairway.

“I am trusting of that, and hopefully that new bounce I’m using is going to be a benefit to me in softer conditions. That’s really what I’m struggling with.”

Bettinardi is a brand that is most well-known for its putter models and has a number of Tour ambassadors on its books, including Matt Fitzpatrick, Matt Kuchar, Ben Silverman and Fred Couples.

As for the wedges, the HLX 5.0 is a club that “should be taken as a serious competitor within the wedge category”, said Golf Monthly's Sam De'Ath.

He added, “High-end production and design have meant these wedges are some of the most versatile and best looking on the market. Two grind options and pronounced cut grooves provide spin performance in all conditions.”

Time will tell whether it passes DeChambeau's test.

Bryson DeChambeau is one of the biggest golf stars on the planet, with his approach to the sport and embracing of social media garnering many fans and attention worldwide.

Many know the two-time US Open winner from his YouTube content, but golf fans also admire the American for the ways he pushes the boundaries when it comes to equipment.

DeChambeau is one of the most open-minded players when it comes to his clubs and isn't afraid to try out lesser-known manufacturers in an attempt to gain an advantage on the course.

A Krank driver and fairway woods feature in the top order of his current bag, while one-length Avoda irons are in the middle portion. A SIK armlock putter still remains in the set-up, despite the brand being acquired by LA Golf at the turn of the decade.

LA Golf has previously appeared in his bag in the form of irons and wedges but, where the brand stands out most, is when it comes to shafts, as all 14 of DeChambeau's clubs possess an LA Golf shaft.

First coming to light around 2018, the 32-year-old used LA Golf shafts to decimate Winged Foot at that year's US Open and they've remained ever-since, claiming another US Open crown and multiple titles on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf League along the way.

However, in a shock turn of events, DeChambeau has now severed ties with the company, which leads to the question... 'What does he do next?'

We don't know the details of what's going on at LA Golf behind the scenes, but we do know that DeChambeau is no longer working with the company on an official capacity.

Speaking to Golf.com, Reed Dickens, the owner and CEO of LA Golf, stated: "Bryson and I actually have some of the same tendencies, and I have nothing but respect for him, but he has this new consultant, a McKinsey-consulting type guy, and this guy says to me that Bryson is gonna walk unless he gets 51 percent.

"Bryson’s got 2 percent of the company. And I think the guy doesn’t realize that he’s dealing with a redneck. And I say, ‘There’s no path for that.’ They played chicken with me, and now we’re going to graciously part ways."

The article later went on to add that DeChambeau’s agent, Brett Falkoff, confirmed that he's "no longer an ambassador for LA Golf," but that "he remains a customer and still has the shafts in his bag."

Golf Monthly has reached out to LA Golf for a comment.

That last point is indeed true, with DeChambeau continuing to use the brand in all of his clubs at the start of 2026. The US Open winner did, however, test out a True Temper Project X D70 Prototype shaft in his driver for the first LIV Golf event of the season in Riyadh, where he gained 1.13 strokes per round off the tee.

At that same event, DeChambeau confirmed to the Mirror US Sports, that equipment changes are on the horizon, explaining that "we're close on the equipment. I'm rebuilding my whole entire set, so you'll see some equipment here soon."

There's no doubt that the Crushers GC captain has something in the pipeline and whatever happens will likely come as a surprise, which is why we've come up with some possible predictions for what's next for DeChambeau, as well as LA Golf?

He Remains In LA Golf Shafts

The first prediction is a slightly anti-climatic one, which is that he continues to use LA Golf shafts for the rest of the year.

They've been in play for almost a decade now, so DeChambeau knows what they're capable of, and the fact that his swing dynamics and speed is so suited to them means it could continue to be a temporary fix while he works on something even better.

Current Club Manufacturers He Uses Jump Into The Shaft World

Krank is known for its work in the Long Drive scene, and when DeChambeau put his Krank driver and fairway woods in-play he ended up shooting a 58 at LIV Golf Greenbrier on their debut.

Avoda, meanwhile, has been a big part of his set-up and, although these irons have been swapped out for LA Golf irons previously, they are still in the bag to this day, detailing that DeChambeau trusts the brand.

Could these companies potentially venture into the world of golf shafts, given that DeChambeau rates their clubs so highly? Again, it's unlikely but, when it comes to the American, anything is plausible.

A move to the mainstream

Again, it's not improbable that DeChambeau returns to the more recognized shaft companies like Fujikura, True Temper or KBS, to name just a few.

He used a True Temper prototype model in Riyadh, so isn't afraid to try these companies, and given that these brands have the resources and money to create something that might suit the LIV golfer, he could make his way back to a more traditional set-up.

For reference, Michael Brennan possesses the fastest club head speed on the PGA Tour and uses Project X HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX 70 TX and Project X HZRDUS Yellow 80 TX shafts in his driver and woods, as well as Project X 6.5 shafts in his irons.

DeChambeau does have more speed than Brennan, so it's likely the former would use a slightly different spec, but you can get a rough idea from the big hitters.

Direct To Consumer

As mentioned, one option would be to use an independent brand but, with the rise of direct to consumer companies, could DeChambeau venture into that area?

There is some logic behind this prediction. Takomo, which is regarded as one of the best direct to consumer golf brands, is partly owned by YouTube stars Grant Horvat and the Bryan Bros.

DeChambeau is fast-becoming the biggest golfer on the platform, so a move to a brand like Takomo would fit the trend of YouTube golfers getting involved in D2C companies.

Obviously, these wouldn't be the exact clubs that a regular Joe would buy, which tend to possess a mix of KBS, Fujikura shafts etc, but a specialized custom-made set wouldn't be out of the question.

What Next For LA Golf?

For the time being, we believe LA Golf hasn't stopped production given that, at the start of the year, Sergio Garcia debuted a combo set of their irons, specifically the CB-26 and MB-26.

They've remained in the bag ever since, while Dustin Johnson is another player to continue using its shafts, specifically LA Golf Prototypes, in his fairway woods.

There's still clubs and shafts being sold on its website, but time will tell as to whether these players will be forced to change their set-ups, or if the brand ceases manufacturing altogether.

There's nobody quite like Bryson DeChambeau in terms of innovation, and now he's teased an upcoming new techological coaching aid that's "on the cusp of changing the game of golf".

We shouldn't be surprised a player like DeChambeau, who had his own 3D printed irons, would be on the cutting edge of golfing technology, and he's at it again.

Speaking at LIV Golf Adelaide, DeChambeau talked about his offseason work, which involved again speed training but also marrying that up with improved iron play.

The two-time US Open champion has been working with AI company Sportsbox and says he has a new game-changing coaching aid coming out that he thinks can help change his game - and the game of golf as a whole.

"I've got something coming that I can't wait to have," said DeChambeau of his new coaching aid.

"Hopefully I'll have it for Hong Kong and that three-week stint, and it'll be something that greatly improves my iron play and wedges. We'll see. You never know.

"It just comes from practicing a little earlier and getting with my coach Dana and working hard with Sportsbox a lot. It's been fun working with Sportsbox.

"We're about to unveil something pretty special with AI so I'm pumped about it. It'll be incredibly helpful in dire times of need to be even more specific than pretty much any coach out there."

DeChambeau didn't go into specifics, but it sounds like a new AI golf coaching aid that he's been working on his swing with will soon be available - and he insists it's a game changer.

"It's great. I can't wait to have that here soon," he added. "It's right on the cusp of changing the game of golf from an instruction standpoint. I'm really pumped about that.

"But I've been using that and really working on my sequencing for speed and also alignment of the face, and it's done pretty well, but just got to dial it in."

The latest AI training tool DeChambeau has been using has been in conjunction with a return to speed training, and he feels a breakthrough is close.

Some golfers struggle with a long offseason, but for someone like DeChambeau, who is always working on something, it seems to suit him just fine.

And after his speed training last year hampered his overall game a bit, he started earlier this time and feels it will work a lot better.

"It's a lot of work in the offseason," said DeChambeau. I started earlier this year. I started November speed training, so I got that kind of out of my system. Last year I was prepping and doing some speed training in January.

"It delayed my speed until the middle of the year and cost me a couple months, so I changed that this year, and it's implemented some nice changes, and I feel really fast. Almost too fast in a sense sometimes. So my iron play is a little not on point."

Only Bryson DeChambeau could hit a stone cold top off the tee and still get it 245 yards, and not many golfers other than Bryson could then hammer his second shot onto the green and make a birdie.

It's just the second LIV Golf event of the season going on in Adelaide, Australia, but DeChambeau's birdie at the Grange Golf Club will be hard to beat as the most eventful hole of the year.

As when DeChambeau wound up to launch one of his monster drives off the par-five 10th tee, he smacked his ball directly into the turf and a daisy cutter whizzed off the top of the tee box.

Somehow, thanks mainly to a helpful bounce off a cart path, such an outrageous top still managed to fly along the turf for 245 yards - the ultimate stinger - and that was eventul enough before what DeChambeau did next.

Facing a 288-yard second shot, the two-time Major champion hammered a fairway wood, carried the greenside bunker and onto the green just 30 feet from the hole.

An eagle would have been a ridiculous result, and it almost happened as DeChambeau left himself just six inches away, but a birdie four was still incredible given the tee shot.

It was from the ridiculous to the sublime with how DeChambeau finished off the hole with one of seven birdies that saw him end the first round tied for the lead on six under alongside Marc Leishman.

"Oh, yeah, it was a great line drive into the tee box and bounced it off the cart path," DeChambeau explained after his round.

"I had a nice scuff mark. Some kid has a nice scuff marked ball out there. Then it was a perfect 287-yard 3-wood to 27 feet, and nice two-putt for birdie."

Even pro golfers as talented as DeChambeau can prove they're human every once in a while, with the odd shank or top - and top players remember every single one of them.

So after DeChambeau had finished his round, he had no problem remembering when he last hit such a top off the tee - and no wonder as it was a costly one.

"Last time I did that was 2021 Players Championship off the 4th tee box and it cost me The Players," he added.

"I've done it before. But that shot was more of a thin shot. I just hit too far down on the ball. I actually struck it nicely. It was a perfect strike right into the tee box. It was awesome.

"Got to make sure I don't hit it with too negative an attack angle next time."

While plenty changed (or remained frustratingly stagnant) in the world of golf during 2025, there continued to be an extraordinary amount of money on offer to those fighting it out at the top of the professional game.

The PGA Tour shared out over half a billion dollars in prize money while the LIV Golf League put up more than $260 million across its much shorter season.

Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour offered a record amount of prize money last year at more than $132 million. And yet, according to data from Sportico, not only did no female golfers make the top-100 highest-paid athletes last year, no female from any sport earned enough to be included.

The top-100 highest-paid athletes in the world during 2025 earned an estimated $6 billion in income and competed in just eight different sports - golf being one of them.

World soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo led the way with an incredible $260 million while the 100th-ranked athlete - British NBA talent OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks - banked a healthy $37.9 million in 2025. In between were six golfers, three fewer than in 2024.

Xander Schauffele, Tyrrell Hatton and Collin Morikawa all scooped between $55m-$43m last year, but their income dipped considerably over the following 12 months and they were no longer on the list.

Of the remaining six, a couple of golfers have swapped in terms of the order while most have changed positions in terms of the top-100.

Leading the way for golf in 2025 was Jon Rahm. Per Sportico, the Spaniard earned an eye-watering $84.7 million before adding $16 million in endorsements to reach a grand total of $100.7 million.

According to the sports business title, many of the top LIV golfers received around half of their bonus payment for signing up front and another portion when they played their first event.

The remaining part of the signing bonus is reportedly paid out during the life of the contract, hence the significant boost in Rahm's earnings after the total prize money he claimed in 2025.

The Legion XIII captain - who failed to win a tournament during this time but still claimed LIV Golf's individual championship - earned around $4 million less than in 2024 but stayed in 10th position, just as he was last year.

Then came Rory McIlroy with a total income of $91.2 million, helped considerably by his win at The Masters, his victory at The Players Championship and his success on the DP World Tour as well.

Despite collecting just over $36 million in prize money, the five-time Major winner was one of two golfers in the top-100 list to secure more through endorsements with a total of $55 million leaving him 14th in terms of highest-paid athletes.

Just two spots behind McIlroy was Scottie Scheffler. The World No.1 earned $50.9 million in 2025 and banked $32 million through endorsements to enjoy a total income of $82.9 million.

Bryson DeChambeau was the fourth and final golfer to fall inside the top-25, proving just how lucrative the sport is in the modern era.

The Crushers GC captain scooped $42.7 million via salary and winnings while adding on a further $20 million and sitting 23rd in the top-100.

The final two pro golfers inside the top-100 highest-paid athletes for 2025 were Joaquin Niemann and unsurprisingly, Tiger Woods.

Niemann won five LIV Golf League titles to rack up an impressive $44.2 million in earnings but only banked $3 million in endorsements. That left him 63rd.

Meanwhile, Woods picked up less than $500,000 in earnings but - thanks to his status as arguably the greatest of all time - clinched $54 million in endorsements to put him 41st.

HIGHEST PAID GOLFERS 2025

What the future holds for Bryson DeChambeau is anyone's guess right now with a LIV contract that has just one year left and the golfing landscape around him proving to be about as predictable as the New York Stock Exchange.

The two-time Major winner could have been preparing for the 2026 LIV Golf campaign alongside his Crushers GC squad, which has remained unchanged despite a flurry of activity elsewhere around the league, without distraction.

However, Brooks Koepka's decision to leave LIV for the PGA Tour and the blooming discussion around DeChambeau's own future is not helping the situation.

In light of Koepka's return, the PGA Tour offered three more Major-winning players in the LIV Golf League the opportunity to come back via what it dubbed the 'Returning Member Program.' But, DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith all turned the chance down.

Nevertheless, DeChambeau and Smith both only have one full season remaining on their initial LIV deals and their long-term futures remain unknown.

For Smith, who spoke to Front Office Sports during LIV Golf's media week, there is only one option. He wishes to remain a part of the Saudi-backed circuit for the foreseeable future.

But, for DeChambeau, the American feels he has multiple options in front of him - including the possibility of playing YouTube golf through the bulk of his campaign while supplementing his schedule by competing in the four Major championships.

The man with 2.6 million YouTube subscribers has won the US Open twice, most recently in 2024, and is exempt through all four Majors through 2028 at the earliest.

FOS' David Rumsey asked DeChambeau if playing YouTube golf without a home circuit would really be viable if he wanted to remain competitive, to which the 2022 and 2024 US Open champion replied: “That’s an incredibly viable option, I’ll tell you that.

"Doing the course record series, and playing Break 50s, it does keep me quite dialled in for tournament golf. That is why I do it right before competition. So, it’s a possibility. The financial opportunities are there, and I’m excited to see what comes in the future.”

Whether DeChambeau truly means what he says or his answers this week are part of a larger tactic which aims to negotiate a better LIV Golf contract remains to be seen.

Either way, the 32-year-old shared that his team is in talks with LIV officials and his side is hopeful of finding a solution one way or the other before LIV Golf Riyadh begins on February 4.

DeChambeau continued: “We are negotiating now and hopefully we can come to a solution where it makes sense for everyone long term. And if not, we will see what happens.”

Bryson DeChambeau says the two sides of the great golfing divide are "too far apart on a lot of things" so can't see a resolution coming any time soon.

It seems an eternity since the Saudi Arabia PIF and PGA Tour shook hands on a 'framework agreement' - yet since that day way back in June 2023 not much has changed.

Both sides dropped legal proceedings and players have largely stopped sniping at each other since then, but in terms of bringing the game back together only slight adjustments to the Majors have seen the best players facing each other more often.

And DeChambeau believes that's likely to remain the case for some time.

"Man, I wish something major would happen, but I don’t think it’s going to in the immediate future. I think there are too many wants on both sides and not enough gives on the other," DeChambeau told Fox News Digital.

"We’re just too far apart on a lot of things. It’s going to take some time, but ultimately, I do think the game of golf will grow internationally."

The two-time US Open champion does believe that eventually the game will reunite, and be better for it, with the American reiterating recent hints from Harris English that the PGA Tour will reduce tournament numbers in future.

"Scarcity will become more prevalent, which I think is good for players’ health and longevity," DeChambeau added. "Honestly, for the professional sport, scarcity is very important.

"I think the R&A recognizes that, and I do think the PGA Tour recognizes that. It’s moving more toward that model. I won’t speak for anybody, but I think there will be improvements for the game as time goes on.

"It’s positive disruption, and it’ll take time to let the water settle and make a perfect scenario where we all come back together. Ultimately, I think it’ll be good for the game over time."

Mutual respect & Ryder Cup emotions

Although players on both sides have been guilty of some vitriolic messaging, now some of the sting has been taken out of the situation DeChambeau feels there's more respect, and they're keen to concentrate on matters on the course

"I think there is a mutual respect of our craft," he added. "You know, it's just a matter of putting that golf ball in the hole, you know? And I think there's a mutual respect among all of us.

"So that's where I feel like, you know, we all have gone to a place where we're like, ‘OK, you know what? Let's just keep moving on. We'll let the businessmen figure out the business details and we just keep playing golf.’"

Although his move to LIV Golf cost him a 2023 Ryder Cup spot, DeChambeau made Keegan Bradley's team this year, which he described as "a special feeling", and will be going all out to play again in 2027 at Adare Manor.

"I've always loved representing Team USA. It’s definitely an emotional roller coaster, but one that I love experiencing every time I get the chance to, and I'll continue to fight to be on those teams as far as I can," DeChambeau added.

"You never know when it could be your last one, right? So you got to appreciate and respect it."

Have you say, would you like to see the PGA Tour and LIV Golf make a deal? Let us know by joining the conversation below...

Bryson DeChambeau believes he can become the best player in the world if he can fix one part of his golf game - and that's his wedge play.

While taking part in Grant Horvat's latest five-under challenge on YouTube, DeChambeau discussed the one area of his game he thought was holding him back.

DeChambeau is still one of the best golfers on the planet, as he's shown in the Majors by winning the 2024 US Open and being an almost constant challenger for golf's biggest prizes.

The 32-year-old has also added back-to-back runners-up finishes at the PGA Championship and was in Sunday's final pairing alongside Rory McIlroy at this year's Masters.

Overall, it's six top-10 finishes in the past eight Majors, but DeChambeau feels he can elevate his game even further if he can figure out his wedge game.

"This is where if I can get better with these wedges, then I can get to the best player in the world," DeChambeau told Horvat. "But I’ve got to get better with them.

"The problem is I can’t hit it high, and then I try to steepen it and go down after it and just a massive divot.

"Got to figure that one out. That’s the thing that’s holding me back.”

It has been pointed out by several analysts that at times DeChambeau has been let down by his approach play in the Majors - we're talking small margins as his results have been so good, but it's the difference between a top five and a title.

One thing not really a debate is DeChambeau's driving, which has remained incredible, and could be an even bigger weapon as he's looking to hit it even further next year.

Due to playing in LIV Golf, DeChambeau has a long off-season to work on things, and along with figuring out his wedge play he's back in speed training with the driver.

The hope is that he can not only get a higher maximum speed, but have a regular 'normal' ball speed of close to 200mph, which would be a huge asset if he could hit it consistantly.

“It’s going to be further next year," DeChambeau declared after bombing a big drive in his match with Horvat.

"I am just starting to speed train. My goal is to be average 195mph-200mph ball speed when I’m out on the golf course, just chipping it.”

You can't say Bryson DeChambeau isn't trying his best to be a team player ahead of the Ryder Cup - even though the hostilities between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have made it a touch awkward.

Keegan Bradley has 10 of his 12 Team USA members teeing it up at the Procore Championship this week as his key Ryder Cup warm-up, with both DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele missing.

DeChambeau isn't allowed to play due to the ongoing PGA Tour suspension for playing on LIV Golf, but that hasn't stopped him from heading to Napa in California to be with his teammates.

And Bradley has been delighted that DeChambeau has been williing "to go above and beyond for this team" as they prepare to face Europe at Bethpage Black.

The LIV Golf spat with the PGA Tour has led to some cross words between players, but DeChambeau has worked hard to ensure there's no awkwardness from what undoubtedly is an awkward situation.

"We’re in an awkward spot with where we sit in the golf world," Bradley addmited. "A lot of that responsibility has fallen on Bryson. He has to make a much bigger effort than a lot of the guys.

"Bryson was there last night. He’s been incredible. He’s been more than willing to go above and beyond for this team. I think it’s a testament to what a good teammate Bryson is.

"I think it’s actually really cool to see, for the guys to see - it’s easy for the guys to come play here and come to dinner. Bryson’s got to get on a plane, he’s got to come to these meetings and I think it’s a great thing, shows the commitment in that Bryson has for the team.

"He’s going to be a huge asset for us. Obviously from the standpoint of how good of a player he is, but also he’s fun to be around, he’s great to the younger guys. It’s fun for us to see Bryson in an atmosphere outside the golf course as well."

'It shows that he just cares' - Morikawa

For such a popular and public figure these days, DeChambeau's commitment to Team USA has gone under the radar, with Collin Morikawa revealing that he's been mixing with the team on a few occasions.

"Not just this week, he’s made efforts to come out to other meetings and other dinners as well," Morikawa said of DeChambeau.

"It shows that he just cares. Like I said, I think this whole individual aspect, we’ve all thrown that out the window and we will all do what it takes to be with the team.

"So to have him there yesterday, being around the team, hanging out, like they’re all positives for us. I think the more we can all be together, which we’ve already been, the closer we’re going to be and the more comfortable we’re going be to.

"It’s been pretty seamless I think through all my team events, like there hasn’t been any awkwardness around anyone. I’m not saying just because we lost in Rome there was awkwardness in the team room.

"All of us have been great together, but just adding the extra little dinners, hanging out, that just shows that he cares. Like I said, he’s going to do everything it takes and everything we need and we need from him to go out and put points on the board."

The LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship has already thrown up a number of surprises, but fans are set to miss out on a huge match on Saturday.

Defeating Majesticks GC 2-1, Bryson DeChambeau's Crushers GC are through to a semi-final where, on Friday, their team captain selected Brooks Koepka's Smash GC, who won 2-1 against the 4Aces GC.

As we saw in the majority of the six quarter-final matches, the teams' captains will usually face off against one another but, for their match, DeChambeau won't play long-time rival, Koepka.

Speaking in the press conference on Friday, Koepka stated: "I like myself in one (going out first), and (Talor) Gooch is playing good at the two slot. Then those guys (Jason Kokrak and Graeme McDowell) in foursomes played really solid today. We're not going to mess with a winning formula."

Upon hearing the news, DeChambeau then revealed his side's line-up for the semi final, explaining that: "Our foursomes choice will be the same today with Paul (Casey) and Charles (Howell III) playing together. Then I'm going to put Anirban (Lahiri) at No. 1 against Brooks, and then myself against Talor."

Certainly, the decision seemed to surprise some, with host and emcee Jason Zone Fisher asking DeChambeau why he had opted to swap his and Lahiri's spots around.

Answering that question, the two-time US Open winner said "I've got my reasons," before adding that "it's not personal, though, I can tell you that. It's not."

Although the reason for the swap is unclear, it caused some reaction from Koepka, with a video from the LIV Golf social media account showing the five-time Major winner asking the question "I don't know what the thinking was behind that."

He added "I'd probably say the people would want to see that (DeChambeau and Koepka match-up). I don't know what he was afraid of. I don't know, he beats to his own drum, so he's a strange cat."

In the quarter finals, DeChambeau got the better of Lee Westwood 4&2, while Lahiri lost his match against Sam Horsfield 2&1.

Away from that game, Koepka was defeated 1-down by former Ryder Cup teammate Dustin Johnson, while Gooch claimed an impressive 1-up win over match-play specialist Patrick Reed.

DeChambeau and Koepka's past has been heavily noted in the past, with the duo embroiled in, somewhat, of a feud that culminated in The Match in November 2021, with the latter winning 4&3.

The duo seemed to patch things up though a few years later on, even pairing up together in a PGA Tour vs LIV Golf showdown against Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy. In that match, the LIV pair lost to the World No.1 and 2.

There's still plenty of big matches to look forward to, though, at The Cardinal at Saint John’s course, despite DeChambeau and Koepka not facing off.

Legion XIII GC and HyFlyers GC will be the first match out, as Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson face off, while Torque GC captain, Joaquin Niemann, will play Stinger GC's Dean Burmester.

After the semi finals, the winning teams on Saturday will play for the Team Championship title on Sunday’s stroke-play finals.

USA captain Keegan Bradley will not have Bryson DeChambeau playing in his planned Ryder Cup warm-up event on the PGA Tour - so does he run the risk of being rusty at Bethpage Black?

Bradley has picked out the Procore Championship in Napa as his Ryder Cup warm-up, and says most of his team will be playing in the PGA Tour's Fall Series event.

Several Americans have spoken of them being a bit rusty when they turned up in Rome last time having not played for a month or so after the Tour Championship ends the season in the US.

Not wanting to make the same mistake again, Bradley's boys will play in Napa - but DeChambeau cannot join them as he's banned from PGA Tour events due to playing in LIV Golf.

So as its stands DeChambeau would go into the Ryder Cup without any competitive action in a month, with next week's LIV Golf Team Championship his final scheduled tournament.

So how can they solve this problem? Maybe the answer lies with DeChambeau going and playing behind enemy lines.

It may not just be DeChambeau either, as Brooks Koepka and even Patrick Reed could be in Bradley's thinking for a possible wildcard pick for the Ryder Cup.

And there's no chance of the PGA Tour making an exception, as it has already told Sports Illustrated that DeChambeau's suspension won't be lifted.

First and foremost it's a blow to morale, as playing Napa would also be a good team bonding experience, and not having DeChambeau (or any other LIV players) there won't help.

Bethpage Black is not the type of course and the Ryder Cup is definately not the type of event where players can turn up rusty, as we saw in Rome, but DeChambeau may have another option.

And that option looks like being ducking behind enemy lines and going to play on the DP World Tour alongside Luke Donald's Europeans in one of their key warm-up events in Ireland.

As the Amgen Irish Open at The K Club looks to be the perfect prep outing for DeChambeau as he can tackle a parkland course and face the likes of Rory McIlroy and even Donald himself who is teeing it up in the field.

DeChambeau wouldn't be the only LIV Golf player in the field either as Koepka has confirmed his place in the Irish Open along with Tyrrell Hatton and Sergio Garcia.

Adding the two-time US Open champion to the field would certainly give the Irish Open an extra layer of intrigue, with DeChambeau always a big draw but even more so with the event coming just a couple of weeks before the Ryder Cup starts in New York.

Defending champion Rasmus Hojgaard won a thrilling Irish Open last year with his late surge denying McIlroy a home victory, but this year will hold even more Ryder Cup talking points, especially if DeChambeau takes part.

Most, if not all, of Donald's European team will play at Wentworth at the BMW PGA Championship while the Open de France the week after could offer some players a last-minute tune-up.

With LIV Golf UK being staged at the JCB Golf & Country Club there was no shortage of hardware from the sponsors available to try and shackle Bryson DeChambeau on the range.

There's always plenty of sponsor activiations around any golf tournament, and at JCB Golf & Country Club there's an abundance of bright yellow heavy machinery around.

Some of that was put to good use at the driving range in the build-up to LIV Golf UK, with several cranes positioned with nets at the end of the practice facility.

And with DeChambeau in attendance then that netting could well have been catching a few of the American's booming drives.

DeChambeau is again among the betting favorites for the latest LIV Golf event, which this week is in the UK coming hot on the heels of the Open Championship.

After a dreadful opening round, DeChambeau made a huge charge at Royal Portrush over the closing three days, so arrives in the Midlands in fine form.

And there's plenty of fanfare surrounding the latest LIV Golf event, which will return to the JCB next year after an announcement by LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil in the build-up.

"I got a chance to get out and play a little bit a couple days ago," said O'Neil after playing the course.

"Didn't go as well as I would have hoped. But it's a beautiful course. It certainly represents all the best in golf.

"They truly understand what world-class looks like and feels like, and it kind of represents everything we're trying to build at LIV. So thank you for that.

"We would like to announce that July 24 through 26 of next year, we will be returning to JCB. We are thrilled to be back with a wonderful partner on an incredible course in a country that I absolutely love."

Bryson DeChambeau will have a familiar face on the bag at LIV Golf UK with his former long-term caddie Tim Tucker standing in.

DeChambeau's regular caddie Greg Bodine is missing the latest stop in the LIV Golf League at JCB Golf & Country Club to deal with a personal matter.

But there's no stranger stepping in as DeChambeau has reunited with his former bagman Tucker - who partnered with him for eight PGA Tour victories.

That included Tucker being on the bag when DeChambeau won his first US Open at Winged Foot in 2020.

Tucker and DeChambeau split in 2021 and since then he's caddied for a number of players on the PGA Tour - with his biggest success being with Kurt Kitayama for his 2023 victory at The Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Tucker has also been away from the PGA Tour at times while leading his golf travel business at Bandon Dunes in Oregon.

DeChambeau is again among the betting favorites for LIV Golf in the latest event in the UK, coming hot on the heels of his furious finish at The Open.

He opened up with a poor 78 but then shot 65-68-64 when making a stirring charge up the leaderboard to even threaten a challenge.

He still feels there's improveents needed to conquer links golf though, especially in the tougher conditions.

"I always told you guys I like it when it's fair conditions. I can play well," said DeChambeau.

"I still have to crack the code when it's raining and windy. But I feel like we're getting close to some opportunities and solutions for that. It just takes a long time to develop stuff, I'm starting to learn."

Shots have been fired in the build-up to the Ryder Cup, with Bryson DeChambeau taking aim at Rory McIlroy when hoping to meet his rival at Bethpage in September.

DeChambeau and McIlroy have built up a history from last year's US Open and this year's Masters, and the American told People Magazine “I'll be chirping in his ear this time" if they meet again.

Now the Majors are finished, the Ryder Cup is coming up fast on the horizon, with Keegan Bradley looking increasingly likely to be player-captain as Team USA look to win back the trophy after defeat last time in Rome.

DeChambeau may not qualify automatically due to not playing in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, but Bradley has already made it clear he'll be lining up against the Europeans.

And DeChambeau has picked out rekindling his rivalry with McIlroy as his aim for the Ryder Cup - also signalling his intent to give the Northern Irishman plenty of on-course banter at Bethpage.

“I'll be chirping in his ear this time,” DeChambeau told People Magazine at the Happy Gilmore 2 premier in New York.

“Now, if we go up against each other, I mean, you can be sure of it. I'll get into his ear a little bit.”

DeChambeau is certainly up for a Ryder Cup return, judging by his comments after a flying finish to the Open Championship last week.

"This year is no joke, we're tired of losing," DeChambeau said at Royal Portrush.

“I hope I can bring a lot of energy and a tsunami of a crowd that's going to be rooting for Team USA.”

How the Bryson v Rory rivalry developed

McIlroy's late putting meltdown gave DeChambeau the chance to win the US Open at Pinehurst No.2 last year.

DeChambeau reminded McIlroy of that during The Showdown match with Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka - in the type of needling that he's now promising at the Ryder Cup.

The Northern Irishman exacted revenge by claiming The Masters when going out in the final pairing with Bryson - when the Amercian spoke about being ignored by the new Grand Slam winner.

DeChambeau claimed that McIlroy "didn't talk to me once all day" during that final round at Augusta, which culminated in that epic playoff victory over Justin Rose.

McIlroy explained that DeChambeau snub as merely being focused on his own date with destiny - and that may be the approach again if the two meet at Bethpage.

“I don’t know what he was expecting," said McIlroy. "Like, we’re trying to win the Masters. I’m not going to be his best mate out there."

Unlike at Augusta National though, DeChambeau will have an army of USA fans roaring him on - and if he's also "chirping" in McIlroy's ear that will be one huge fight to look forward to.

Just a day after the men's golf Major season came to a close in Northern Ireland, some of golf's best and brightest headed over to New York for the premiere of Happy Gilmore 2.

The Open champion, Scottie Scheffler hot-footed it across the Atlantic to smile for cameras on the red carpet at Jazz at Lincoln Center alongside his wife Meredith and the Claret Jug, and he was joined by a few of his defeated challengers, including Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau and Collin Morikawa.

As well as some of the world's leading pros, several past Major winners were also in attendance, such as Michelle Wie, John Daly, Jim Furyk and Fred Couples.

The cast of Happy Gilmore 2 features plenty more famous faces from throughout golf, with Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Will Zalatoris, Paige Spiranac, Nelly Korda, Nancy Lopez, Verne Lundquist and a certain Jack Nicklaus all involved at one point or another.

Full Swing producer, Chad Mumm is also a co-producer for Happy Gilmore 2, and he revealed earlier in the year that some roles the current professional golfers play are larger than some may expect.

Mumm said: "What was fun about it, is, normally, making Full Swing, it's kind of like, I'm invading their turf. And them coming out to the movie set, it was kinda like 'you're on our turf now.'

"But they had a blast. We had so many professional golfers and legends of the game come out to be in the movie and I think people will be really surprised by how much they're in it."

As well as leading faces such as Christopher MacDonald (Shooter McGavin) and Julie Bowen (Virginia Venit), other famous names set to make a cameo in the golf movie classic include music stars Eminem and Bad Bunny, plus Kansas City Chiefs tight end and boyfriend of Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce.

The much-anticipated movie arrives on Netflix on Friday, July 25, with the titular character - played by Adam Sandler - returning to golf nearly 30 years on from winning the 1996 Tour Championship as he aims to pay for his daughter Vienna's ballet school via another heroic victory.

Bryson DeChambeau has sent a warning to the Europeans after all but clinching his place on the US Ryder Cup team for September's match at Bethpage Black.

After the first round of The Open, the LIV Golfer was staring down the barrel of a likely missed cut, having toiled to a seven-over 78 at Royal Portrush. However, he forced his way into the weekend with a six-under 65 on Friday. Two days later, further rounds of 68 and 64 saw him back in the clubhouse firmly inside the top 10.

While DeChambeau’s recovery wasn't enough to seal a third Major title, his performance has enhanced his credentials for September’s US Ryder Cup team.

He began the tournament with a 574-point cushion in one of six automatic qualifying places, while he will solidify that position with another haul of points following The Open, meaning he’s now all but assured of his first Ryder Cup appearance since the 2021 match at Whistling Straits.

DeChambeau will undoubtedly be one of the key men on captain Keegan Bradley’s team given his ability to perform on the big occasions and he is confident his experience as LIV Golf’s Crushers GC captain will assist the team even further.

After his final round at Royal Portrush, he said: “We have the most wins on tour right now as the Crushers. It's been so much fun playing with Paul, Anirban, and Charles. The way I've personally led my team is I've let them be their individual self, their best individual self."

He added: "That's how I learned from team golf is let the individual be the best individual they can possibly be to add to the team. That's it. Don't try to put someone in a bubble and say you need to do this, you need to do that.”

DeChambeau likened the approach to that used on him to good effect in his college golf days, which included the 2015 NCAA individual title for SMU.

He added: “What I learned best from my college coach, Josh Gregory, was just that, let me be me, which was amazing. That's why I did so well in college."

It’s not just DeChambeau’s work on the course that will make him a big asset to the US team in his third Ryder Cup appearance. Nowadays, he is also one of the most popular golfers on any circuit, and he’s confident that he can help send a boisterous home crowd at Bethpage Black to near fever pitch. He explained: “I hope I can bring a lot of energy and a tsunami of a crowd that's going to be rooting for Team USA.”

Two years ago, DeChambeau revealed he didn’t receive a call from then-captain Zach Johnson to say he hadn’t made the team, but it’s a different story this time. He explained that he hadn’t just had contact with Bradley over the upcoming match, but that the captain even left him a message in his locker at Royal Portrush. He said: “I talked with him briefly, and then he put something in our lockers that was pretty inspirational.”

He refused to be drawn on what the message said, admitting it was personal, but he revealed it had been meaningful to him. He also sent an ominous message to the Europeans, who will be defending the title they won at Marco Simone two years ago, adding: “It meant a lot. This year's no joke. We're tired of it. We're tired of losing."

The Ryder Cup takes place between 26th and 28th September.

Slow play has been a big talking point at The Open Championship, with the first rounds at Royal Portrush taking a near six hours to complete.

Although play sped up on Friday, rounds were still over the five hour mark and, on Saturday, two-time Major winner, Bryson DeChambeau, found himself on the clock on the 17th hole.

Confirming to reporters that he was put on the clock at the par 4, DeChambeau stated: "He (rules official) timed me on 17 after I striped the drive down there. 16, difficult hole, got up-and-down in a difficult spot.

"Understand we were struggling with pace the whole day. I was moving my butt as fast as I could. Greens were really tricky. I was trying to read them right. We just kept losing time.

"Unfortunately on the 16-17 exchange, you've got a downhill drivable hole you can play pretty quick if you get in the right spot. They did that, and we just lost more time to the group in front of us, and they put us on the clock, which is unfortunate."

After his explanation, DeChambeau, who carded a three-under-par 68 to go alongside his six-under 65 on Friday, then gave his thoughts on how pace of play could be improved, something fellow LIV Golfer, Jon Rahm, spoke about following his third round.

"It's very simple. It's not difficult at all. You eventually time everybody for their whole entire round. Very simple," explained the DeChambeau, who sits at two-under for the championship.

"Nobody wants to do it because people are too scared to get exposed, which I am an advocate for. I'd love to be timed, and I have no problem with that. My putting, I'm more deliberate, take more time on that, but when it comes to iron shots, off the tee, I'm pretty fast.

"It's like DJ (Dustin Johnson), he's really slow on the putting greens, and then he's incredibly fast on his full swing shots, second shots into it. Everybody plays a different style of game, and that's just the way it is. I wish it was just a new system.

"I think it would be more fair towards everybody. If somebody is playing slower, the guy can go up to him and say, hey, man, you're over par with your time. All you do is you just time them for every single shot.

"He gets there and puts the bag down, and how long it takes him to hit that shot and how long it takes him to walk to the green. It's not rocket science. You time how long someone takes individually, and then you separate that from the other person playing."

Back in 2018, the European Tour introduced the Shot Clock Masters, which used a timing element for each shot.

The idea was to reduce slow play, providing the first player in the group with 50 seconds to hit, while the remaining players had 40 seconds each to play their shot.

A one-shot penalty was given for exceeding the time limit and players could use two 'time-outs' for extended time.

Following the event, which was staged in Belgium and lasted for one year, it received a mixed response from those playing.

As mentioned, Rahm was also asked about slow play at Royal Portrush and, playing on the LIV Golf League, where it takes around 4.5 hours to complete their rounds, the Spaniard accepts the fact that slow play is going to be an issue in a larger, Major field like The Open.

Speaking about his first round in Northern Ireland, Rahm stated: "We had a lot of rain come in and out, so umbrellas out, glove out, put the rain gear on, take the rain gear off, give the umbrella to the caddie. It becomes a lot longer that way.

"Like I said to them, it usually is very much related to the amount of players in the field. When you have 150 plus the first two rounds, every single Major, except the Masters, obviously, is going to be longer rounds. It's just what it is. We don't have -- in smaller fields when you have less people, and even in threesomes in small fields, you don't really have that issue...

"It's a bit of an adjustment after playing on LIV because we absolutely fly. The one thing we do, I feel like every round is less than four and a half hours unless the weather conditions are crazy.

"It is an adjustment when you get to play a six-hour round a little bit, but I also know it's going to happen. So talk to your caddie, talk to your playing partners. While there's nothing you can do, just try to keep your mind engaged in something else but the game."

It was confirmed last week that LIV Golf submitted a new bid to the Official World Golf Ranking to become eligible for points.

It comes less than two years after its last approach was denied, but with a new CEO in charge, Scott O'Neil, there is every chance that the outcome could be different this time.

The American replaced Greg Norman at the helm of the rival tour at the start of the year and is hopeful a deal can be struck.

The OWGR board confirmed the news by saying in a statement: "The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) received an application from LIV Golf seeking inclusion in the OWGR system on [Monday] June 30, 2025, and the review process has commenced."

One player that will certainly be keen to see a deal struck is two-time US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.

When discussing the recent application in his press conference prior to the final men's Major of the year this week at Royal Portrush, he said he was excited about the new bid and outlined two ways in which the tour could change in order to be successful this time around.

"Going through the right process is important, and I think Scott and all of us are looking forward to going through that process and getting it done the right way. We're excited for that," he told media in Northern Ireland.

"It's (LIV) moving in the right direction. We're commercializing. We've got some good partners aboard with us now. We'll see where it goes.

"We're excited to see with the new commissioner coming in and Scott and them being friends, I think there's something that can get done in a good way for the game of golf.

"I'm really excited for the future of the game. There's a lot of positive movement going on currently."

The American will be looking to win his third Major and first Open Championship this week at Royal Portrush, where his best result is T8 back in 2022.

The 31-year-old is enjoying another successful season, winning once on LIV this year - in Korea - and currently sits third in the individual standings.

When discussing what the breakaway Tour would have to do differently to gain OWGR status, he said: "I would say that there are definitely grounds upon which we can change some things.

"Definitely relegation for sure, more pathways into LIV. I think a global tour, more association to a global tour would be great for a feeder system into LIV.

"Those things, I think, could help quite a bit. Albeit I don't know the details, I think those are a few of the bigger points."

Regarding new players joining the Tour, he said: "I think it's big for us to have these players that are just jumping onboard still collect points. They are deserving of it.

"They're playing some incredible golf every week, and I think having a system in place for us as players would benefit the ecosystem of the game tremendously, especially for fans."

These are changes that we have outlined that LIV Golf could make in order to gain OWGR points, with stumbling blocks previously surrounding its promotion and relegation system, its lack of cuts and the team aspect.

Whether the Saudi-backed circuit will be successful this time around, only time will tell.

Another of the tour's biggest stars, Jon Rahm, believes that it's time for the circuit to be recognized and had some strong comments this past weekend at Valderrama.

"I think what you've seen this week is a good level of golf. It deserves points. How many? I don't know," he said.

"The excuse, or argument that many use, is that this is an exhibition. For me, that's false.

"And, whether you like it or not, whether it's a cut or not, whether they have three or four rounds or not, it's good competition. It's competition. And it deserves world ranking points.

"I hope it happens. I hope it doesn't take too long. Because I think there are good players here.

"There are good young players here who deserve the opportunity to qualify for the Majors.

"And let's hope that this is the beginning of more LIV players qualifying for the Majors directly because of how they play in the LIV.

"We've had Joaquín and Sergio. I think they've qualified for the Majors. Let's see if this is the beginning of much more.

"But I believe we have a high enough level of golf. And a high enough level of competition to earn world ranking points."

DeChambeau and Rahm both have the chance to earn ranking points this week by making the cut at Portrush, where they are among the 19 LIV Golfers in The Open field.

Golf's scientist is back at it again, as Bryson DeChambeau was spotted making another major equipment change ahead of LIV Golf Dallas.

It is well-known that the American is very much in-touch with golf's newest equipment, previously using a number of brands' clubs throughout his professional career.

A founding partner and investor of the LA Golf brand, DeChambeau was recently spotted using a set of the brand's new prototype irons.

However, after two tournaments of use, the two-time Major winner has seemingly switched back to an older set of irons, specifically from Avoda Golf.

His previous - and now current - Avoda irons were groundbreaking in the sense that they had curved faces to help with gear effect, which is essentially where the face is curved to help toe strikes draw back to the left and heel strikes fade back to the right.

However, his iron play hasn't been up to its usual standards this year, with the American struggling to find his distances in the early part of 2025.

Switching to LA Golf irons, he finished T4 at LIV Golf Virginia, before then missing the cut at the US Open, following a poor second round.

Moving back to Avoda is a sign that the American is still trying to fix his miss but, despite this 'weakness', the LIV Golf star has still enjoyed an excellent 2025 that has yielded a strong run of results in the Majors and a victory on the LIV Golf circuit.

Although he has moved back to Avoda Golf irons, DeChambeau has decided to stick with the LA Golf brand in other aspects of his bag, specifically putting in a set of LA Golf wedges.

Currently, he is using prototypes from the brand in Dallas but, previously, the big-hitting American was using Ping Glide 4.0 wedges in 45°, 50°, 56°, and 60°.

Although Bryson DeChambeau says his driver will be the key club at The Open, he admits he'll need a more strategic approach at what can be a 'diabolical' Royal Portrush.

Last year's US Open champion missed the cut at Oakmont this year in his worst Major display of 2025.

He's been a main contender for a couple of years in the Majors though, winning at Pinehurst No.2 last year, finishing runner-up twice and also two further top 10s in the last seven Majors alone.

The 31-year-old also missed the cut at Royal Troon in last year's Open though, with links golf not seen as the ideal format for his big-hitting style to prosper at a Major championship.

And DeChambeau acknowledges that he's disappointed not to have won a Major this year, and accepts that if he is to lift the Claret Jug he'll have to think his way around Portrush.

"Yeah, I'd say disappointed that I haven't won one yet," DeChambeau said of his 2025 Major form.

"I've got to fine tune my game and focus on executing my shots the way I know I can on the golf course. I haven't been doing that recently.

"A little bit more due diligence on my side of the coin. Not taking things for granted and focusing on what I can do to give myself the best chance to win at the British Open.

"Probably being a little more strategic that week."

DeChambeau also missed the cut on his last visit to Royal Portrush, when Shane Lowry won the 2019 Open Championship.

But despite having to think more, DeChambeau still believes his driver will be his main weapon to tackle such a tough course and try and win a third Major.

"Yeah, it can be diabolical," he said of Royal Portrush.

"Driver is key on that golf course in wind conditions, in side wind conditions. It's going to be a good test of controlling your golf ball, so I've got to be in touch with my game.

"I've got to have better feel."

Links golf has not been kind to DeChambeau in his career to date, missing the cut in three of his seven Open appearances and bagging just the one top 10 finish - a T8 at St Andrews in 2022.

A T33 is his next best finish so it's fair to say his game hasn't translated to the unique test links golf provides in the Open Championship.

Much will depend on the weather, as on a fast and firm course DeChambeau would surely not require his big dog as much as usual, but they way he's talking about the Open and from what we know of his usual style, he'll turn up at Portrush ready to attack the course as much as possible.

You can't get through a Bryson DeChambeau press conference or interview without the two-time US Open champion talking in great detail about his equipment - and this week was no exception.

The Golfing Scientist is armed with new irons this week at Oakmont, having switched out his Avodas for a new prototype set from LA Golf. DeChambeau is heavily involved with the brand and revealed in fascinating detail to media how this new set has been built to fight against a certain miss.

The LIV Golf star has been formidable in the recent Majors, winning one, finishing second in two others and top-five in another two. Yet despite these impressive results, his iron play in particular hasn't lived up to his usual standards in 2025.

DeChambeau was often missing his approaches to the left thanks to his iron shots over-drawing, and he is trying to do something about it.

At the PGA Championship, where he finished 2nd to Scottie Scheffler but 47th in Strokes Gained: Approach, he spoke about seeking a new golf ball that flies straighter, but he has since added the new LA Golf BAD V3-W irons to his bag with the ball search continuing in the background.

His previous Avoda irons were groundbreaking in the sense that they had curved faces to help with gear effect, which is essentially where the face is curved to help toe strikes draw back to the left and heel strikes fade back to the right.

However, he appears to have taken it a step further with his new LA Golf prototypes, as he explained on Tuesday at Oakmont.

"Yeah, so we iterated on the design of the face," DeChambeau told media of how his new irons are built to help him stop missing to the left.

"The heel is a little bit flatter on the curvature. My face obviously has some curvature on the irons. So we’re just optimizing for the gear effect on the heel and on the toe based on the mass properties that are there.

"Like the heel doesn’t gear effect as much in an iron at my speeds, so hitting it on the heel, I’ve got to be a little flatter, and then the toe has a little bit more roundness on it to account for that out there, and then I moved the CG out towards the toe.

"I’ve got such heavy grips and heavy golf shaft that it moves the CG of the club all the way to the heel so we try to offset that with that tungsten weight on the toe.

"That’s very simply what it is."

I asked our resident irons expert, and PGA Professional, Joe Ferguson for his take - especially as he has had a full range session with Bryson's Avoda irons and even used them to win a PGA competition.

Here's Joe 'The Pro' Ferguson's view...

He's at it again! The mad scientist of golf has been back in the lab and his latest idea is not just curved faces on irons (which he has been playing for well over 12 months), but faces which have varying degrees of curvature in different spots to match up with the different CG properties of those spots!

As one of a handful of people in the world that has not only hit, but actually played a full round of golf with his Avoda irons, I feel I am in a good position to comment here.

The logic of this change seems sound, but I can't help but feel that there is an element of overthinking going on here and perhaps an overreaction to a few left misses both at The Masters and PGA Championship, and it is a bold move to re-design an iron that has brought him as much success as his current Avoda set.

That said, as a gear nerd, I absolutely love that he is willing to try these things, and think outside the box, and who knows this experimenting could benefit all of us down the line if these ideas work and come to retail."

Bryson DeChambeau's golf ball search

After hinting that he was seeking a new ball over the past few months, DeChambeau gave an update on how that was going, too.

"Yeah, I've got some new irons in the bag, which have been great. I've optimized it a little bit more, so hopefully that helps with those overdraws in my irons. You never know. But they seem to have helped this week, and hopefully it aids for me this week," he said before coming onto his golf ball search.

"The golf ball is a longer discussion. That's going to be a bit of time.

"I'm still working on it. We think later this year I'll have a golf ball that will be very interesting to test.

"If it helps, who knows. It's a test. But I'm excited to keep researching and trying and experimenting and optimizing.

"My goal right now is just to optimize myself to another level, and if I can't, so be it. If I can in some areas, great."

The golf ball DeChambeau currently uses is the Titleist Pro V1x, having used the Pro V1x Left Dash to win at Pinehurst last year.

Bryson DeChambeau is always looking for ways to improve his game and, at LIV Golf Virginia, the two-time Major winner showed off some new irons in the bag.

Back in January, at the International Series India tournament, the American was spotted using a set of prototype LA Golf irons. Now, six months on, it seems that DeChambeau is trialing them in the bag.

The model in question is the LA Golf BAD V3-W in 5-iron to 9-iron. As you can see from the image above, it features the BD logo that is regularly used throughout DeChambeau's bag.

Featuring LA Golf BAD Prototype shafts, you may wonder, how did the irons perform? Well, at LIV Golf Virginia, DeChambeau shares the lead alongside Martin Kaymer, with the Crushers GC captain firing a five-under 67 that included multiple chip-ins.

It was the short game that drew the attention of many throughout the broadcast, but there were some notable iron shots from the current US Open winner, including a fairway bunker shot at the par 5 fifth.

Although he wasn't asked about how the irons performed, the American is in a great position to challenge for back-to-back LIV Golf titles, following his win in Korea prior to the PGA Championship.

At those tournaments, DeChambeau was using a set of one-length 3D-printed Avoda Golf irons.

Previously, they were working well for the American, who claimed the 2024 US Open with them in the bag. However, although he has produced T5 and runner-up finishes at The Masters and PGA Championship, he was ranked well down the field in terms of approaching the green.

Despite leading the field in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green, as well as being second in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, DeChambeau was 51st in approach.

Speaking at The Masters following a three-over-par 75, the 31-year-old stated: “Just more of the same with my irons. Was trying to figure it out from last Sunday (at LIV Golf Miami).

“For some reason I’m just not fully optimized. I get over it and I feel like I’m going to hit the heel, and I try to pull across it and it just goes left on me. If I'd just had somewhat of good iron play this week, it would have been a lot different outcome.” 

Bryson DeChambeau is known for being golf's content king and, on Sunday afternoon, the golfer was in a very special place to create yet more coverage on social media.

Visiting the White House, DeChambeau met with President Donald Trump, as the pair also attended Trump National Golf Club Washington DC in the process.

In a tweet from the White House's Special Assistant, Margo Martin, DeChambeau was seen striking golf balls from the White House's South Lawn, with the two-time Major winner finding the cut out green in front of the iconic venue.

Later appearing at Trump's golf course, the President joked with spectators that him and DeChambeau play a lot of golf together, claiming: "It's not a very pleasant experience for me because I always consider myself a reasonably long hitter.

"My wife says, 'Are you as long as Bryson?' I say, 'Yeah sorta, pretty close... it's not close.'"

DeChambeau's not the only player to be seen at the White House recently, with Tiger Woods also making an appearance at the start of last month.

Although unclear the reason for the visit, it was one of the first times Woods had been spotted in the public eye since the announcement of his relationship with Trump's former daughter-in-law Vanessa.

In terms of DeChambeau, his mind will now turn to LIV Golf Virginia on the 6 - 8th June, before Oakmont the week after, where the 31-year-old is defending his US Open championship.

Aiming to join Woods and Hale Irwin as a three-time US Open winner, DeChambeau will be one of the favorites, especially after finishing no higher than fifth in his last five starts.

Included in those performances are a victory at LIV Golf Korea, as well as a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship and T5 at The Masters.

Brandel Chamblee said Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm's late collapse at the 2025 PGA Championship was almost exclusively down to where the two play their golf.

While Scottie Scheffler ultimately sealed his third Major - and a first PGA Championship - by five strokes at Quail Hollow on Sunday, the result looked as though it would be very different with just nine holes to play.

Scheffler had begun the final round with a three-shot headstart but was slowly reeled in by Rahm and DeChambeau, with the Spaniard briefly pulling alongside the World No.1.

Yet, DeChambeau was unable to maintain his charge and slipped backwards first before Rahm ran out of momentum as well after a trio of close calls at 13, 14 and 15.

In the end, DeChambeau ended T2nd on six-under, not helped by a four-over sequence along the Green Mile over the weekend. Rahm, meanwhile, knew the game was up once he reached the toughest stretch and was five-over along the same three holes on Sunday alone to finish T8th.

Discussing what happened to the fallen pair of two-time Major winners, Golf Channel analyst Chamblee insisted the perceived lack of competition in the 54-hole circuit was ultimately what cost DeChambeau and Rahm at the sharp end of the PGA Championship.

Chamblee said: "If you look at how Bryson DeChambeau played 'the Green Mile' over the past two days - four-over-par. You look at how Jon Rahm played 'the Green Mile' over the past two days - five-over-par. If you look at how Scottie Scheffler played 'the Green Mile' over the past two days - one-under-par.

"It matters where you play to be sharp, to be at your best, to test yourself against the best, which they’re not playing against the best week in and week out. Scottie Scheffler is, at the highest level.

"When it mattered the most, 16, 17 and 18, when you had to hit shots, when you had to control your nerves, when you had to control the rhythm of your golf swing, Scottie had it, Bryson didn’t, Rahm didn’t.”

Reflecting on the past year for both LIV stars, DeChambeau has managed to finish in the top-six at four of his past half-dozen Majors while winning another and missing the cut at the 2024 Open Championship.

Meanwhile, Rahm largely failed to live up to expectations at the Majors in 2024 despite picking up the LIV Golf League Individual championship at the end of his first season with the PIF-backed circuit.

Weighing in on the subject, Chamblee's fellow Golf Channel analyst, Paul McGinley largely agreed with his colleague and claimed that LIV Golf's structure hardly prepares players for the rigours of Major championships.

McGinley said: “I think it’s hard to make an argument that LIV prepares you to win major championships because they are playing team events, they’re not playing on the most difficult golf courses, and they’re traveling around the world and then having to come back to America to play three of the four Majors. Those things alone.

“There’s a great quote from a Navy Seal that’s widely used in leadership. What do you do under pressure? And he says, 'I sink to the level of my training.' And the training that the guys get on LIV, the way they play on LIV, it’s not the same intensity as the PGA Tour. Nobody can argue that. That is true.

"Having said that, they do come close. Brooks has won a Major, Bryson has won a Major [since moving to LIV]. It's easy, with recency bias, to say that they can't win. But I'd agree with you to say that going to LIV is going to give you a better chance in winning a Major.

"I don’t care. You can argue that all day long. There’s no way that I can see [LIV] is a better and more productive pathway to be prepared to win majors.”

Bryson DeChambeau is the game's longest hitter and that is on full show this week at the PGA Championship.

The 2024 US Open champion, who uses a Krank Formula Fire LD driver with just 5 degrees of loft, is averaging a mammoth 345.6 yards off the tee through the first two rounds at Quail Hollow - made even more impressive considering the amount of rain the course took on in the early stages of the week.

DeChambeau is a full 18.5 yards clear of the rest of the field, with defending champion and World No.3 Xander Schauffele second in the driving distance charts at 327.1 yards.

The LIV star's longest drive so far is 362 yards, which is T2nd behind Nicolai Hojgaard who hit a monster 366-yarder.

As well as being long, DeChambeau has found 53.57% of fairways at the halfway stage and ranks 2nd in Strokes Gained: Off the tee with 1.959.

He has also gained 1.413 strokes with the putter, with only his short game letting him down having lost 0.398 strokes around the greens. While he admits he is hitting it far, it sounds like he's hoping to find more fairways over the weekend.

"Not my best driving although I'm hitting it really far right now, which is great," he said.

"Wedge play needs to be cleaned up a little bit. Yeah, take more advantage of the par-5s and short par-4s for me."

These impressive stats have translated into round of 71 and 68 to leave him at three-under-par in T17th position, which puts him top of the LIV Golf leaderboard at the PGA Championship alongside Richard Bland.

The Englishman ranks 148th in the field for driving distance with an average of 276.3 - a full 68 yards shorter than DeChambeau.

PGA Championship driving distance average after 36 holes

• 1. Bryson DeChambeau - 345.6 yards
• 2 Xander Schauffele - 327.1 yards
• 3. Marco Penge - 326.1 yards
• 4. David Puig - 325.9 yards
• 5. Niklas Norgaard - 325.7 yards
• 6. Jon Rahm - 325 yards
• 7. Rory McIlroy - 324.8 yards
• 8. Andre Chi - 322 yards
• 9. Ludvig Aberg - 321.6 yards
• 10. Michael Thorbjornsen - 321.5 yards

After going head-to-head down the stretch in two of the last three Majors, we could be set to see Rory McIlroy v Bryson DeChambeau part three at the PGA Championship.

McIlroy's late putting meltdown gave DeChambeau the chance to win the US Open at Pinehurst No.2 last year, but the Northern Irishman exacted revenge by claiming The Masters after going out in the final pairing with the American.

With also the hint of some needle after DeChambeau was unahappy McIlroy never spoke to him during Sunday at Augusta, we'd all love to see two of the biggest names in golf battle it out down the stretch again.

And there's every indication we will, with both of them in form, both winning recent Majors and both having a game well suited to Quail Hollow - with a battle between golf's best drivers possibly deciding who wins the Wanamaker Trophy.

DeChambeau let himself down a bit on Sunday at The Masters, but he's since responded with a LIV Golf victory in Korea and would love another crack at McIlroy.

This is almost like a home game for McIlroy too, as he's a four-time winner at Quail Hollow who is hands down the best performer at the venue over the last decade or so.

DeChambeau knows the course is an ideal fit for McIlroy's game, but it also plays to his own strengths off the tee in particular.

"I do believe you have to have a lot of distance out here," said DeChambeau. "Rory is a great driver of the golf ball and his iron play is great, too.

"I think it's a golf course that sets up for his shot shapes pretty well, and I think it sets up well for mine, too. We'll see. Maybe I do well, maybe I don't.

"But I'm certainly going to give it my all, and I know Rory is. Hopefully we can have another go at it again like the Masters."

McIlroy vs DeChambeau: Who is the best driver of a golf ball?

With driving already a key attribute at Quail Hollow, a softened course due to rain will put it at an even higher premium, which again leads many to think McIlroy and DeChambeau are the big favorites.

One of those is Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee, who thinks the American will be a huge danger to McIlroy as his game also suits the course.

“Around here, on this golf course, he [DeChambeau] could be Rory in waiting," said Chamblee. "He's only played here twice, he’s finished fourth and ninth, in 2018 and 2021.

"And in those events he was fourth and second in strokes gained putting, again, not a big sample size, but nobody putts better here then him – nobody.

"Bryson, before he left to go to LIV, he was the best driver of a goal ball in the world, not Rory, Bryson.

"I think it’s a contest between who is the best driver of a goal ball, is it Rory or is it Bryson DeChambeau?

"And unlike Augusta National, which is a bad place for Bryson with his irons, this place is better, he’s played really good golf when he’s played around here.

"So I really think it sets up for a great Rory, Bryson back and forth here."

New Masters champion Rory McIlroy said ahead of the PGA Championship that he was in no mood to be Bryson DeChambeau's best mate during that epic final round on Sunday at Augusta National.

After playing in the final pairing in The Masters on Sunday with McIlroy, DeChambeau said that the new Grand Slam winner "didn't talk to me once all day".

When a follow-up question to DeChambeau asked if he tried to speak with McIlroy at all, the 31-year-old simply stated: "He wouldn't talk to me."

McIlroy's sports psychologist Dr Bob Rotella explained why the Northern Irishman did not engage in conversation with DeChambeau, and now the man himself has had his say.

Ahead of the action starting at Quail Hollow, McIlroy was asked about the situation at The Masters, and was puzzled as to why DeChambeau would be expecting anything else.

“I don’t know what he was expecting," said McIlroy. "Like, we're trying to win the Masters. I’m not going to be his best mate out there.

"Everyone approaches the game in different ways. I was focused on myself and what I needed to do and that's really all that it was.

"It wasn't anything against him, that's just what I felt I needed to do to try and get the best out of myself on that day."

McIlroy has 'achieved everything that I've wanted'

McIlroy's lifetime ambition was to win all four Majors, and now that he's done that he intends to enjoy the rest of his career, and not set any more lofty goals.

"I have achieved everything that I've wanted - I've done everything I've wanted to do in the game," McIlroy said.

"I dreamed as a child of becoming the best player in the world and winning all the Majors. I've done that. Everything beyond this, for however long I decide to play the game competitively, is a bonus.

"I've always said I'm never going to put a number on it. I've talked about trying to become the best European ever or the best international player ever or whatever that is.

"I don't want to - I feel like I sort of burdened myself with the Career Grand Slam stuff, and I want to enjoy this. I want to enjoy what I've achieved, and I want to enjoy the last decade or whatever of my career, and I don't want to burden myself by numbers or statistics. I just want to go and try to play the best golf I can."

Masters win 'could be the highlight of my career'

After waiting so long to slip on the Green Jacket and complete the career Grand Slam, McIlroy is still rejoicing in his accomplishment, and recognizes that it may be the pinnacle of his career.

"It's everything I thought it would be. I think the outpouring of support and congratulatory messages has been absolutely amazing.

"Look, everyone needs to have goals and dreams, and I've been able to do something that I dreamed of for a long time.

"I'm still going to set myself goals. I'm still going to try to achieve certain things. But I sit here knowing that that very well could be the highlight of my career.

"That's a very cool thing. I want to still create a lot of other highlights and high points, but I'm not sure if any other win will live up to what happened a few weeks ago."

McIlroy's Masters moment still emotional

McIlroy's not watched his Masters moment back on television too often, as he wants to try and remamber it from his own unique perspective - with the emotions of the 18th green still fresh in his mind.

"I've tried not to watch it a lot because I want to remember the feelings," said McIlroy.

"I've talked about this before, but I think when I rewatch a lot of things back, I then just remember of the visuals of the TV rather than what I was feeling and what I was seeing through my own eyes, so I haven't tried to watch it back too much.

"But anytime I have, I well up. I still feel like I want to cry.

"It was an involuntary - I've never felt a release like that before, and I might never feel a release like that again. That could be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and it was a very cool moment."

Shooting rounds of 65, 66 and 66, Bryson DeChambeau produced a real statement a fortnight out from the PGA Championship, with the American claiming his first victory since the US Open in June.

Carding a 19-under-par tournament total in the 54-hole event, DeChambeau secured a two shot win over Crushers GC teammate Charles Howell III, with DeChambeau taking some serious momentum into the second men's Major of the year at Quail Hollow.

So far, in 2025, DeChambeau has enjoyed a great run of form that included a tie for fifth at The Masters, as well as top 10s at LIV Golf Riyadh, Singapore, Miami and a runner-up finish in Mexico City.

However, a victory had eluded the 31-year-old but, with 18 holes remaining, he led by four shots, a comfortable margin as he searched for a third victory on the LIV Golf League circuit.

Despite sitting three-under for his round through 13 holes, DeChambeau was caught by his Crushers GC teammate, Howell III, who was eight-under through 14 holes.

Despite the tight competition, DeChambeau produced birdies at the 15th, 17th and 18th for a six-under 66 and a two shot victory over Howell III, who carded a nine-under 63 to finish solo second at 17-under.

It now means DeChambeau will take some serious momentum into the PGA Championship in a fortnight's time, with the two-time Major winner finishing runner-up to Xander Schauffele last year.

Speaking after his win, DeChambeau stated: "My goal is to win every tournament that I show up to. Scottie (Scheffler) is on a great run. Joaquin Niemann is on a great run. Jon Rahm has been playing well. There's a lot of star-studded talent out there right now that's going to be in the PGA Championship. We're going to be battling it out.

"I'm glad to have pushed through in this victory and won this event, but there's a lot more work to be done this year. There's three more Majors, and my eyes are focused on that with all the other LIV events, doing my absolute best in every single event I show up to."

Golf Club de Chapultepec returns to our screens this week with LIV Golf Mexico City and it's a chance to see the 54-hole league's players launching bombs at altitude - including golf's biggest hitter Bryson DeChambeau.

The former WGC-Mexico Championship host venue sits 7,800ft above sea level so the ball travels significantly further than most tour stops, and the video we've all been waiting for this week has been released of DeChambeau hitting his trademark 200mph ball speed monster drives.

DeChambeau was filmed smashing his Krank Formula Fire LD driver a monstrous 407 yards through the air and then showing off the number to Phil Mickelson, who described it as "very sexy."

The 2024 US Open champion told Mickelson that you need 15 degrees of launch angle to reach 400+ yards of carry, with his drives featuring 2,500rpm of spin.

Watch Bryson DeChambeau's 400+ yard drive:

Joaquin Niemann's Torque GC team have also been posting their numbers, with Niemann carrying his drive 368 yards, a whopping 53 yards longer than his sea-level distances. Not quite DeChambeau long but still a mighty hit.

Niemann's 3-wood also topped 300 yards, going 313, which is 38 yards further than at sea level.

Carlos Ortiz's 4-hybrid was travelling 270 yards, 35 yards further than usual, while Mito Pereira managed 218 yards with his 7-iron, which is 28 yards longer than his standard distance.

DeChambeau tops the LIV Golf Driving Distance charts so far this season with an average of 322.6 yards - a number that will surely be going up after this week's action at Chapultepec.

Rory McIlroy's sports psychologist, Dr Bob Rotella has explained why the Northern Irishman did not engage in conversation with Bryson DeChambeau during The Masters final round on Sunday.

Prior to McIlroy's emotional playoff victory over Justin Rose at Augusta National last week, DeChambeau raised eyebrows in his post-tournament interview by revealing that his playing partner "didn't talk to me once all day" after being asked how he thought the 35-year-old would fare against his Ryder Cup teammate in extra holes.

DeChambeau went on to say that he "loved" the "electric" atmosphere at Augusta National before turning his attention back to McIlroy. The LIV golfer said: "But he was just like -- just being focused, I guess. It's not me, though."

Later in his post-round interview, DeChambeau was specifically asked whether he tried to initiate conversation with McIlroy, but the 31-year-old simply stated: "He wouldn't talk to me."

McIlroy and DeChambeau were paired together at the business end of the season's first Major for the first time since their enthralling indirect US Open battle at Pinehurst No.2 last summer - a championship which the 29-time PGA Tour winner threw away, allowing his LIV Golf rival to steal the show in dramatic fashion moments later.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's 'Today' program on Tuesday, Rotella - a key part of McIlroy's team - shared that the five-time Major winner's intense focus was not a personal issue with his American rival but something they had discussed in the build-up and during The Masters itself.

The renowned sports psychologist said: "That didn't have anything to do with Bryson. That was just the game plan all week and we wanted to get lost in it.

"We didn't want to pay attention to what anyone else was scoring, or shooting, or swinging or how far they were hitting it – we just wanted Rory to play his game.

"The point is, if you believe you're going to win, just play your game and assume that if you do that anywhere near the way you're capable of, then you will end up number one.

"If you watched Rory, he was very locked into his own world. It's just you and the golf course and your caddie. You get lost in this world that you've made up, and play the game you love. I think he did a beautiful job of that all day. He did so many things to bounce back time after time."

While doing his best to retain that sole focus which would ultimately help him complete the career Grand Slam, McIlroy was frequently seen glancing at his yardage book - perhaps even more than he might usually.

The sports psychologist shared that there were helpful reminders from him contained within the book which McIlroy took great comfort in referring to in moments of discomfort. And, given the tumultuous nature of McIlroy's final round, there were a few.

Rotella continued: "We would have a chat every day before the round, and he would make some notes, and every couple of holes, he would take a look around to remind yourself. That's what he was looking at."

Having ended an 11-year wait for his latest Major, the common question being asked regarding McIlroy now is 'how many more can he win and when will the next one be?'

The psychologist in McIlroy's corner believes several more are on the cards and, now that the chains are off, so to speak, it will be a whole lot of fun to watch him try and go about it.

Rotella said: "My guess is that he will go on and win quite a few more, I think he's thinking of having a multiple win season... It's going to be a lot of fun to see how many more he can win.

"His year is off to great start, now he's got a chance to have the greatest year he's ever had. He's getting tough mentally and emotionally, and that's such a big part of it - you've got to have will that's like steel."

It was not to be for Bryson DeChambeau at The Masters, with the American seeing his final-round challenge to Rory McIlroy fizzle out in disappointing circumstances on Sunday.

Despite beginning just two strokes back of the Northern Irishman and briefly taking the lead in the early stages, DeChambeau toiled to a three-over 75 at Augusta National which left the LIV golfer in a tie for fifth and watching on as McIlroy claimed Major number five at long last.

While the sting of defeat cannot have been easy to take, DeChambeau was quickly reminded of a recent example where he managed to best the World No.2 and add a second Major triumph of his own.

Hours after leaving Georgia, the 31-year-old arrived back at the scene of arguably his greatest day as a pro golfer so far - Pinehurst No.2.

Needing a par to snatch the championship away from McIlroy on the 72nd hole last summer, DeChambeau successfully converted a four-foot putt and made himself a two-time US Open winner following his maiden triumph at Winged Foot in 2020.

On Monday, DeChambeau was honored by the USGA with a commemorative plaque next to one of the fairway bunkers on Pinehurst No.2's 18th hole, from which he lashed out the first half of a US Open-winning sand save in June 2024.

The plaque reads: "Bryson DeChambeau blasted a 55-degree wedge from this bunker to 4 feet, setting up his winning putt in the 124th US Open Championship - June 16, 2024."

DeChambeau arrived at a sun-baked Pinehurst to be greeted by hoards of fans who had taken this chance to meet their hero. Mic'd up for the whole day, a video on the US Open's social media accounts showed DeChambeau entering the clubhouse at Pinehurst, posing for photos and signing several autographs along the way.

Later on, the former US Amateur champion gave a speech in which he became emotional and detailed why his win was so special.

Holding back tears, DeChambeau said: "That week, I always felt something was going to happen. My idol, Payne Stewart. Going to SMU. Wearing the flat cap. Knowing what Payne did for the game. Inspiring millions of young golfers like myself.

"I never would have thought it would have been me to have that shot, that opportunity, to get up-and-down out of that bunker and win the US Open - the shot of my life, forever in history by that bunker."

DeChambeau went on to give huge credit to his caddie, Greg Bodine for reframing his mentality when the doubts crept in late on before breaking down as he spoke about his late father, who passed away in November 2022, aged 63.

The 2024 US Open winner said: "Quite honestly, I have my caddie, Greg to thank for telling me: 'Bryson, you've got up and down from harder places. You can do this, man.' For it to happen the way it did, I couldn't have written a better script... I really wish my dad could have saw that.

"It's important to celebrate the moments where you win. It's really cool being able to come back from losing The Masters, one of the biggest rounds of my life, to remembering one of the most important rounds of my life."

The Californian was then asked to recreate his memorable shot in front of a large crowd at the iconic golf course, although not with the same club which now lies with the US Open museum.

DeChambeau noted just before entering the now famous trap that the 55-degree wedge he used that fateful day was the same one with which he produced the hole-in-one over his house more recently.

Although the first attempt didn't quite go to plan - DeChambeau called on it to "go! go!" - the Crushers GC captain was instantly happy with his second try and soaked up the applause as he made his way back onto the grass.

Gently convinced to do one more, the third shot came up short once again, leading DeChambeau to half-jokingly say "the greens were firmer when I played!"

Oakmont Country Club is the next US Open host venue, where DeChambeau will hope to add to his Major tally. Pinehurst No.2 returns to the rotation in 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047.

At The Masters on Sunday, Rory McIlroy was not about to let anything get in the way of him finally completing the career Grand Slam. Not past collapses, not direct rivals and not one of his long-standing Ryder Cup teammates.

The whole week arguably felt a little different for McIlroy. He started on fire before a stumble near the end of round one dampened the optimism slightly. After Thursday's action, he chose to skip media duties in a bid to retain that one-track mind which would ultimately help McIlroy win The Masters.

Nevertheless, the Northern Irishman's play continued to be sensible but often aggressive at the right times, with two sensational rounds on Friday and Saturday catapulting him towards fulfilling his dreams.

Heading into Sunday, the whole mood around the 35-year-old had changed. Before, there had been hope. Now, there was expectation. And McIlroy knew it.

Paired with the man who had usurped him to the US Open title at Pinehurst No.2 a matter of months earlier, their respective approaches to attempting to seal a maiden Green Jacket could hardly have been more stark.

The outgoing personality of Bryson DeChambeau soaked up the acclaim and tried to engage with external factors as much as possible. Meanwhile, McIlroy wore a steely look of determination throughout and acknowledged the patrons only after holing putts or to give low-fives on the way to a tee box.

The five-time Major winner's demeanour did not go unnoticed by his playing partner, who suggested he would have been more than happy to converse if McIlroy had wanted.

DeChambeau was asked after completing his round how he thought McIlroy would fare in the upcoming playoff against Justin Rose, to which the American replied: "No idea. Didn't talk to me once all day."

Pushed on the atmosphere out on course as a member of the final group, the LIV golfer said: "Electric. I loved it. But he was just like -- just being focused, I guess. It's not me, though."

Another follow-up question was put to DeChambeau later in his post-round interview, specifically 'Did you try and initiate conversation with Rory at all?' but the 31-year-old simply stated: "He wouldn't talk to me."

The weight of self-imposed pressure on McIlroy to deliver was evident. With one chance to secure The Masters wasted in regulation, the World No.2 collapsed to the floor after making his second in the playoff as over a decade of emotion flooded out of him.

During his interview in the Butler Cabin afterwards, McIlroy explained how tough it had been to rock up at Augusta National every year with so many people not just hoping but seemingly expecting him to fulfil his potential.

He said: "It feels incredible. This is my 17th time here, and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time. I think the last 10 years coming here with the burden of the Grand Slam on my shoulders and trying to achieve that, yeah, I'm sort of wondering what we're all going to talk about going into next year's Masters.

"But I'm just absolutely honored and thrilled and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion."

'I WANTED TO CRY FOR HIM'

McIlroy's journey to the Green Jacket was far from serene, though, with a double bogey at the first preceding a shocking second double-bogey of the round (and fourth of the week) at the 13th. In between, there were four birdies and a bogey which had helped McIlroy re-establish his lead.

Having opted to lay up on Amen Corner's par-5, leaving himself with a fantastic angle looking straight down the green, McIlroy got too cute with his chip towards the flag and watched his ball slide off down into Rae's Creek which separates the fairway from the putting surface.

He made tough work of getting up and down with his next ball but eventually marked down a seven on his scorecard - later becoming the first Masters champion ever to have four double-bogeys throughout the week.

Thankfully, for the Northern Irishman, his error on 13 didn't cost him dearly. Nevertheless, DeChambeau admitted that while he still harbored his own ambitions of success, he was emotional watching McIlroy go about his own business.

The popular American said: "I wanted to cry for him. I mean, as a professional, you just know to hit it in the middle of the green, and I can't believe he went for it, or must have just flared it.

"But I've hit bad shots in my career, too, and it happens. When you're trying to win a major championship, especially out here, Sunday of Augusta, the Masters, you have to just do it and get the job done and do it right.

"There were times where it looked like he had full control and at times where it's like, what's going on. Kind of looked like one of my rounds, actually."