Another year has passed, and so many things have changed since last summer. But the fate of LIV Golf has not. Rather, it has spiraled down much faster than anyone had expected. The exit of Brooks Koepka last December has left a giant hole. Now, a new statement from the Official World Golf Ranking board has only made matters worse. This crisis has so many asking if this is the final chapter for the Rebel Tour. Notably, D.J. Piehowski from the No Laying Up podcast does not think so just yet.

In the latest No Laying Up podcast, Piehowski shared some very bold thoughts. Looking at the current state of the Saudi-backed golf league, he believes that Bryson DeChambeau is the only person who can buy some more time for the LIV Golf before it completely dissolves. “Bryson probably is in the most unique—like the only unique position really outside of maybe Rahm. Where it’s like Bryson should ask for all the money. He’s the only person there who is moving the needle at all,” Piehowski remarked.

Bryson DeChambeau joined the Saudi tour in 2022 for a 3-year contract that is set to expire in the 2026 season.  This timing gives the two-time U.S. Open champion amazing leverage before renewing his contract for the next few seasons.

LIV’s format appears to have hurt the games of many famous stars lately, as players like Brooks Koepka and Cameron Smith seemingly lost their edge recently. But DeChambeau has only become sharper in that free environment. He won his second major title at Pinehurst when he clinched the 2024 U.S. Open.

And in 2025, he finished 3rd in the Individual Standings and led his team, Crushers GC, to a 2nd place finish in the Team Championship and also claimed an individual victory at LIV Golf Korea. In Majors, he finished fifth at the Masters and ended second at the PGA Championship in a season when other stars from the LIV Golf struggled to stay afloat. However, it is not just his golf that makes him special.

DeChambeau‘s YouTube channel has over 2.5 million active subscribers, with his videos generating over 40 million views per month. This digital fame brings a new economy of attention to the league and helps his team, Crushers GC, make some very big money. He himself landed major deals with giant brands like Reebok and tech giant Qualcomm. Notably, after Koepka’s departure, Bryson became the most precious asset in the entire league. And the situation became worse amid the latest world ranking crisis when the OWGR board shared a fresh blow

The league was already planning to change its rules and play seventy-two holes this year, hoping this change will finally convince the OWGR board to award them points. But the board still refuses to give the league full points for its events. Chairman Trevor Immelman said they are making progress but no final decision has been made. “We remain committed to the meritocracy woven into the professional game,” he said. This standoff means players are still stuck in a giant ranking trap.

Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson have plummeted down the global list lately. This makes it very hard for them to enter the Majors. Bryson is safe in the until 2029 due to his Major wins. But his teammates are not in the same lucky position. If the ranking points don’t come, his “Team Golf” vision might die.

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And the Mad Scientist knows this better than anyone else does

That’s why DeChambeau is extremely non-committal about what his future might look like.

“We have to get to a place where both parties have a good understanding of one another. It is getting to a place that makes sense for both sides,” DeChambeau told during a recent interview with FlushingIt. “You never know. Life throws curveballs and, obviously, we saw [Koepka leaving LIV] and that was quite a shock to a lot of people and something that, you know, it is what it is.”

As such, everyone is wondering if he will stay or follow Koepka back home. Notably, Smylie Kaufman believes DeChambeau has a very smart reason to stick around longer. “He is the show over at LIV Golf. I think most of that attention, it will be on him early,… On LIV, every day, he is the main attraction… I think Brooks is bothered by the lack of competition that he feels and that sense of competing against the best. Bryson, I don’t think he’s bothered by it quite as much,” Kaufman said.

Plus, he will have job security, where he does not have to worry about losing his tour card. And unlike the PGA Tour, LIV Golf doesn’t hold the exclusive rights to all video and audio content and allows players to film YouTube videos (or other commercial content) on the course during official tournaments. It is another reason why Bryson DeChambeau could choose to stick with LIV Golf.