PORTRUSH, Northern Eire — Two-time main winner Bryson DeChambeau stated Tuesday he believes LIV Golf is shifting in the best course whereas acknowledging the method is taking longer than they might have anticipated.
“We’re okay with that,” DeChambeau stated. “We’re commercializing. We have some good companions aboard with us now.”
Whereas LIV has continued so as to add sponsors for a number of of its groups and not too long ago introduced their full slate of 2026 occasions, the league’s TV scores haven’t improved by a lot. Based on a report by Sports activities Enterprise Journal, LIV’s scores throughout final weekend’s match in Spain on Fox Sports activities topped out at 334,000 viewers. By comparability, the Scottish Open drew simply over 1.6 million viewers.
Since including Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton in 2023, LIV hasn’t had any extra main additions to its group of gamers. In the meantime, the Saudi-backed entity has undergone organizational makeover.
In November of final 12 months, LIV introduced it might be changing former CEO Greg Norman with Scott O’Neill. Since then, O’Neill has began to institute some adjustments, together with reapplying for Official World Golf Ranking points.
“LIV Golf is dedicated to working along with the Official World Golf Rating and its board to make sure the perfect gamers are competing within the sport’s most prestigious occasions,” O’Neill stated in an announcement. “We’re assured our software addresses the excellent questions that exist to help a extra international, all-encompassing, and correct rating system. We’re hopeful the evaluation and approval course of can progress forward of the 2026 main season.”
LIV’s first software in October 2023 was denied by the OWGR, which stated that they may not pretty examine LIV Golf with the 2 dozen different excursions around the globe due to its 54-hole tournaments and particular person scores counting towards a staff end result.
Since then, LIV halted all efforts to adjust to OWGR’s stipulations whereas a few of its gamers tumbled down the world rankings, stopping them from qualifying for sure main championships. Rahm, for instance, is at present ranked 72nd on the planet.
“I do not know, do you guys assume we should always get factors? I’d say that we have some fairly good gamers over there [in LIV],” DeChambeau stated. “Going by way of the best course of is essential, and I believe Scott and all of us are wanting ahead to going by way of that course of and getting it performed the best means. We’re excited for that.”
When requested about what adjustments LIV might make to its software to make it extra doubtless that the league would get OWGR factors, DeChambeau stated that, whereas he isn’t within the room when such conversations are occurring, he sees the likelihood to make use of relegation, extra pathways into LIV and an “affiliation” to a worldwide tour that may be a feeder system into LIV as choices.
“Clearly the world rating factors is large,” DeChambeau stated. “I believe it is large for us to have these gamers which can be simply leaping onboard nonetheless accumulate factors. They’re deserving of it. They’re enjoying some unbelievable golf each week, and I believe having a system in place for us as gamers would profit the ecosystem of the sport tremendously, particularly for followers.”
DeChambeau additionally famous Tuesday that O’Neill is pleasant with incoming PGA Tour CEO Scott Rolapp, maybe to sign that the 2 could also be extra predisposed to working collectively to discover a resolution.
“I believe there’s one thing that may get performed in a great way for the sport of golf,” DeChambeau stated. “I am actually excited for the way forward for the sport. There’s a number of constructive motion occurring at present.”
