Bryson DeChambeau first floated the idea of becoming a full-time YouTube golfer early this year. He said that if negotiations don’t go well and the PGA Tour doesn’t accept him, he could rely on YouTube to earn a living. With close to three million subscribers and over 694 million views on his YouTube channel, this goal is very well within reach. Now, he is taking steps toward that goal with a $100,000 challenge featuring popular internet golf personalities.
“Welcome to Backyard Games, where over the next 10 days, these 10 golfers will be competing in my backyard for the chance to play me for this $100,000. These players will play one-hole matches on a ton of crazy holes all over my backyard until only one player is left. The last player standing will play me in a three-hole match for the $100,000. And if I win, I’ll be giving it all away to one of my followers,” Bryson DeChambeau said in an Instagram video, announcing the challenge.
All 10 YouTubers participating in the challenge have massive followings. The most popular among them would likely be Grant Horvat. Horvat admitted that if he makes it far in the challenge, Bryson DeChambeau is the guy he worries about most.
Besides Horvat, the field includes professional-turned-YouTube golfers Wesley and George Bryan. While everyone else is focused on the $100,000 prize money, these two have their own competition. During their introduction, Wesley Bryan said that he was better than his brother, while George Bryan said that if he could eliminate his brother, it would make his year.
The other internet personalities in the mix are Brad Dalke, Chance Taylor, Rhett, Arlynn Spence, Sara Winter, Martin Borgmeier, and Chaz Bowker (Chazy Golfer).
Bryson DeChambeau announced that the first round starts tomorrow. Any two random golfers of the 10 will face each other tomorrow in a one-hole match. The one who loses will head back home, while the winner goes on to continue forward.
This move comes amid uncertainty over his own professional career. The American professional ditched the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf in 2022. But the league has been in financial turmoil ever since PIF announced that it will stop funding the league starting next year. While LIV Golf did find a lead investor to continue in 2027, it had to enter a Chapter 11 bankruptcy to nullify all previous contracts.
In its filing, the rebel league listed Bryson DeChambeau as a creditor. The league owes him around $5.77 million. Thus, the 33-year-old retained a sizable seven-member legal team to represent him and his company, BAD Enterprises, Inc. This includes attorneys from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch LLP.
Whether LIV Golf continues next year or not, the nullified contract would mean that Bryson DeChambeau becomes a free agent. However, even if he plans to head back to the PGA Tour, the path won’t be that simple. Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has announced that the Tour is not contemplating another “returning member program” as it did for Brooks Koepka.
This stance directly links Bryson DeChambeau’s near‑term options to LIV’s fate. If LIV 2.0 falters, he cannot simply walk back into PGA Tour events next season. The DP World Tour route is also uncertain at the moment. The PGA Tour has not announced whether it will continue to give 10 cards for the Championship Series to the top Race to Dubai performers from 2028. Rory McIlroy believes that the number of cards may decrease.
All of this puts Bryson DeChambeau’s professional future at a huge risk. While he has repeatedly said that he is okay with leaning on YouTube golf alone, the reality might strike him harder than he expects. What’s left to see is whether LIV Golf will continue in 2028. If so, will DeChambeau stick with it or look for other options? Only time will tell.