Bryson DeChambeau has never been accused of understatement, and his first statement since LIV Golf’s collapse was almost quiet.

In a statement posted on Sunday, he wrote: “Arnold Palmer said no player is bigger than the game, and I want to acknowledge that, along the way, I’ve said some things that didn’t help. Whatever comes next, I’ll approach it with humility and respect for the people who carried this game long before me.” 

Bryson did not say what he regretted.

The statement was not a goodbye to the idea. “I still believe in team golf. It may look different in the future, but I still believe it’s essential to growing the game,” he wrote. He credited the fans, too: “The record crowds in Adelaide and Johannesburg will stick with me for the rest of my life.”

Just a week earlier, DeChambeau had sounded optimistic about LIV’s proposed comeback during an appearance on Raj Shamani’s Figuring Out podcast. He said the new league was “going to be done right” and admitted that LIV’s original management had not been effective. He also explained that players received large upfront payments because they had little control over how the league was run. Under the proposed new model, players could receive less money upfront but have a greater say in its future.

The timing is notable as the Financial Times reports that BC Partners is quietly working to revive a team-based league and says it still has a critical mass of interested players. DeChambeau’s statement does not mention BC. 

DeChambeau’s next appearance will be at the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City from December 3 to 6. He will face Justin Rose, Marco Penge and defending champion Kristoffer Reitan. The American has also said he wants to win Gary Player’s tournament after winning events hosted by Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Golf Monthly reported that he won LIV Golf’s South Africa event earlier this year.

The tournament will mark his first non-major DP World Tour appearance since 2022. However, he does not reveal what he plans to do after that. He only said, “Beyond that, I’ll go about whatever is next the right way.”

One decision cannot wait much longer. The DP World Tour has given DeChambeau until November 16 to decide whether he wants to take membership for 2027. His 2024 US Open victory earned him a five-year exemption, but he missed the first two years of that exemption after choosing not to take membership in 2025 and 2026. DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings has also made it clear that players must choose between the two tours.

His path back to the PGA Tour could be even more difficult. If the Tour follows the one-year suspension served by Patrick Reed, players such as Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith could return on August 24, 2027. However, that date is not official, and Bryson DeChambeau has not been given the same timeline. According to ESPN sources, he could face additional punishment because he remained a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the PGA Tour.

The Tour had offered a Returning Member Program in January, but only Brooks Koepka accepted it. The PGA Tour has since said it will not offer the same program again.

There is also the question of money. DeChambeau is listed as an unsecured creditor in LIV Golf’s bankruptcy, with $5.77 million owed to him. This means he has no collateral backing the money. Secured lenders, including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which agreed to provide a loan worth nearly $50 million in September, have priority when payments are made. The Telegraph also reported in April that DeChambeau had sought as much as $500 million to remain with LIV, although that figure has not been confirmed.

DeChambeau now has several important decisions ahead of him. He must decide on DP World Tour membership by November 14 before heading to South Africa for the Nedbank Golf Challenge. But his bigger future remains unclear. Will team golf survive in a new form? Will he be part of it? And will he ever receive the money LIV owes him? His latest statement offers no answers yet.