Brooks Koepka walked away from LIV Golf quietly, accepting tens of millions in losses. Bryson DeChambeau is taking the opposite approach—loudly, publicly, and with a $500 million price tag attached.

The two-time U.S. Open champion sat at LIV Golf’s Teams Week press conference in West Palm Beach on Tuesday wearing the poker face of a man who knows he holds every card. His contract expires in August 2026. His demands have reached $500 million. And his former rival’s departure has handed him leverage that would make Gordon Gekko envious.

“I’m contracted through 2026, so I’m excited about this year,” DeChambeau told reporters. The words said commitment. His body language said dentist’s waiting room. LIV posted the quote to their X account anyway, hoping it would calm the storm. It didn’t.

Koepka’s exit last month carved a massive hole in LIV’s American star power. The five-time major winner quit with a year remaining on his deal, accepted a $5 million charity donation requirement, and surrendered up to $85 million in equity participation to rejoin the PGA Tour. He took the financial hit and slipped away without fanfare. DeChambeau is doing the opposite—exploiting the vacuum publicly, maximizing attention, and letting LIV sweat.

“I’m surprised,” he admitted to Today’s Golfer. “I didn’t know Brooks would be willing to give that much back.”

With Koepka gone and Jon Rahm locked into three more years, LIV’s American marketability now rests almost entirely on DeChambeau’s shoulders. Cameron Smith has dismissed return speculation. The Saudis have poured over $5 billion into this project. They cannot afford to lose another marquee name—and DeChambeau knows it.

The PGA Tour’s Returning Member Program creates asymmetric pressure. Players who won majors or The Players Championship between 2022 and 2025 can apply by February 2, 2026. DeChambeau qualifies. He hasn’t applied. The deadline looms, and LIV cannot afford uncertainty past that date without knowing whether their biggest star plans to stay.

DeChambeau had previously called Koepka’s departure a “slippery slope” for the league’s structure. Now he’s weaponizing that instability.

Here’s the paradox that strengthens his hand: the $50 million to $85 million in forfeited equity he’d surrender by returning to the PGA Tour makes leaving LIV financially painful. But it also means he can credibly threaten to stay, leave, or do neither—and LIV has no way to call his bluff.

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Bryson DeChambeau’s YouTube empire as a negotiating weapon

But the most disruptive card in DeChambeau’s hand isn’t a PGA Tour return. It’s the threat of walking away from competitive golf entirely.

“That’s an incredibly viable option, I’ll tell you that,” he told Front Office Sports when asked about limiting his schedule to majors and YouTube content. “It’s a possibility. Financial opportunities are there. Excited to see what comes into the future.”

His 2.5 million YouTube subscribers and 500 million views across content series like “Break 50” generate more attention than most tour events. He filmed at Oakmont Country Club before the 2025 U.S. Open, blending sponsorship revenue with tournament preparation. His major exemptions extend through 2028. The math works without a tour contract.

This isn’t a retirement fantasy. It’s a negotiating weapon that removes urgency to sign anywhere. Elite players may no longer need tours for income or exposure—and DeChambeau is proving the model in real time.

“We are negotiating now,” DeChambeau said. “Hopefully, we can come to a solution where it makes sense in the longterm. If not, we will see what happens.”

On Instagram, he posted a picture of himself beneath an exit sign. The caption: “What would you do?” The 2026 LIV season opens in Riyadh. Whether DeChambeau returns in 2027 remains the most expensive question in professional golf.