Bryson DeChambeau has explained why he is so optimistic about the future of LIV Golf after completing his opening round at Valderrama on Thursday.
DeChambeau has got off to another strong start on LIV. The Crushers captain is tied for ninth after posting a one under par round of 70.
The 32-year-old made four birdies and three bogeys to leave himself three shots back of Tyrrell Hatton and Scott Vincent after the first day in Spain. Meanwhile, the Crushers are two shots clear at the top of the team standings.
Bryson DeChambeau says why he is optimistic about LIV Golf’s future
Of course, there is a cloud hanging over LIV Golf right now. It is not yet clear what the future holds with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia set to withdraw their financial support at the end of the season.
And just to make matters even more precarious, LIV’s biggest star, Bryson DeChambeau, sees his contract expire at the end of the season.
Agreeing a new deal with the two-time US Open champion is surely not going to be easy when it is not clear how the league is going to be funded beyond 2026.
But when it was put to DeChambeau that he seemed optimistic about LIV’s future after his round on Thursday, he explained why he is hopeful.
“Well, look, I think this has a lot of opportunity, right, and if somebody sees the plan that Scott and them are putting forward, yeah, I’ve been helping a little bit behind the scenes, and I think that there’s a lot of benefit to capital coming into this league,” he said.
“I think one of the things people don’t realise is the team franchise valuations. We get the top co right and we get what we’re doing on the top side right, I think the momentum could be endless for us.”
LIV’s reported valuations look ridiculous when compared with Premier League teams
LIV certainly seems to have incredibly high hopes for their teams. It was reported in January that LIV valued two of their franchises at $300 million.
The problem is that it is extremely difficult to see what that number is based on.
For example, Leeds United were valued at around $228 million when 49ers Enterprises completed their full takeover of the club in 2023.
Leeds were in the Championship, the second tier of English football, at the time, but they are a club with huge amounts of support worldwide. They have since returned to the Premier League.
Meanwhile, the PIF paid $403 million to take over at Newcastle United back in 2021.
So it seems fanciful to think that any of the teams on LIV could be worth anything like the same as two very famous football clubs in England.
Ultimately, LIV has failed when it comes to trying to break into the mainstream. And they have certainly thrown huge sums at trying to become a powerhouse in the game.
It is hard to see who is going to be willing to invest the kind of money those on LIV clearly believe they can demand.
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