Bryson DeChambeau cannot catch a break—he’s in the news once again, this time for taking a playful yet pointed swipe at the media. The incident unraveled at a practice session ahead of this week’s tournament in Indianapolis. Several media members, including Golf[dot]com’s senior writer Sean Zak, were there to cover the event. As soon as DeChambeau entered the driving range, he spotted three reporters, including Zak, and passed a comment. Speaking with Dylan Dethier, he recalled the incident.
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“As he arrived [at] the driving range for a practice session, Bryson DeChambeau spotted a trio of reporters — myself included — and blurted aloud, ‘Oooh, the mafia has arrived. The mafia. You guys love talking s**t.’”
Although Zak believed DeChambeau was joking, he knew that the American golfer wasn’t a big fan of how he has been “quoted, contextualized, etc.” And the fact that DeChambeau engaged in a prolonged media blackout isn’t something new.
DeChambeau controls his narrative by avoiding the media and speaking directly to fans via YouTube. But his recent comment suggests that he has developed even more animosity toward the media. Either way, DeChambeau’s contract with LIV Golf will end with the 2026 season.
However, Forbes has reported that LIV is reportedly offering DeChambeau $500M to stay—a massive bet amid mounting legal chaos.
A couple of days ago, Front Office Sports reported that several contractors and vendors have accused the league of defaulting on payments of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The very next day, the same media outlet reported that Fresh Tape Media sued LIV Golf in New York for over $1.23 million in overdue invoices and interest tied to producing the league’s January preseason media event. It only adds to the list of lawsuits against the league.
In March 2026, Long Island Spirits filed a federal lawsuit for trademark infringement and unfair competition over unauthorized ‘LIV’ branding usage.
In July, Mobii Systems Group Ltd. sued LIV in Miami federal court for more than $1.1 million over unpaid broadcast licensing/usage fees and breach of a multi-year technology contract.
In the same month, Premier Golf League (PGL) & World Golf Group filed a lawsuit in London’s Commercial Court, seeking $210 million to $630 million in damages for breach of confidence, breach of fiduciary duty, and unlawful means conspiracy by allegedly stealing their team-format league concept.
But there’s some good news for LIV as well. While they had to cancel their season-ending tournament, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil had previously announced that the league had found a new, unnamed investor to keep them afloat in 2027. Although details about the deal aren’t available, players can now also become majority owners.
That being said, DeChambeau doesn’t appear to be a massive fan of the media. While he may continue avoiding them, it appears he can’t avoid making the headlines.