DALLAS — Bryson DeChambeau has stayed home in Dallas, Texas, instead of teeing it up at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this week, a decision that has sharpened questions about the 33-year-old American's competitive priorities as LIV Golf prepares to operate on a much smaller scale moving forward.
The two-time US Open champion could have played at Wentworth despite not being a DP World Tour member, with a sponsor's exemption widely seen as available to a player of his profile. Instead, he is absent while fellow LIV Golf names Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann and Tyrrell Hatton are in the field in England. It has been claimed DeChambeau plans to play on LIV Golf 2.0 next year even as many bigger names are set to jump ship, leaving open whether he will continue on the watered-down circuit, push to earn his way back to the PGA Tour, or focus primarily on YouTube content creation alongside the four major championships.
Remaining with LIV Golf from 2027 onwards could create major championship complications. His exemption into three of the majors from winning the US Open in 2024 expires in 2029, though he remains exempt for the US Open until 2034. To keep playing the other three majors beyond 2029 he would need to win one of them within the next three years or stay inside the top 50 in the world rankings. He is currently ranked 36th, but weaker fields expected on LIV next season and beyond would significantly reduce world ranking points on offer, and it has even been claimed the league's points could be scrapped altogether because there are no longer pathways to LIV Golf following the Asian Tour's new partnership with the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour.
The choice to skip Wentworth suggests competitive golf may not be his immediate priority, with big decisions looming over the next year about whether to chase more major titles and cement his legacy or lean into content creation. That focus would be his prerogative, but it would leave fans missing the box-office presence he brings when he does compete. The absence comes as Wentworth takes center stage this week, where McIlroy's eagle at Wentworth put the BMW PGA and Race to Dubai in sight.