Gary Williams does not think cameron smith should read Bryson DeChambeau’s YouTube backup plan as a full exit from elite golf. The Golf Channel analyst said DeChambeau is still too deep in his major-championship window to walk away from contention if LIV Golf disappears after 2026.
Williams on DeChambeau’s plan
Asked whether DeChambeau was serious about focusing on YouTube and the four majors, Williams answered, “No, not in full.” He added, “He’s being him,” and later made the point even more directly: “No, he will not do that.”
DeChambeau had said he was prepared to grow his YouTube channel while still playing in tournaments that want him if LIV Golf goes away. He also said his team has spoken with the PGA Tour but would not divulge the nature of those talks, and told Skratch it would ultimately be up to PGA Tour members to decide if they want him to come back.
DeChambeau and LIV Golf
The timing matters because Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund financing for LIV Golf is set to end after the 2026 season, and DeChambeau’s contract also ends after that season. That leaves one of the league’s marquee names tied directly to the sport’s next contract cycle, while Williams argued the PGA Tour is the only real option now that the Public Investment Fund is out of the equation.
Williams said DeChambeau is “in the middle of his major championship window,” and called him a player who contends in almost every major. He went further, saying DeChambeau is likely always going to be a factor at a U.S. Open and a PGA, and described him as “as much of a sure thing to be on the first couple of pages of a leaderboard at a major championship.”
Koepka and Rahm contrast
That view fits a wider LIV picture. Last December, Brooks Koepka left LIV Golf to return to the PGA Tour. At LIV Virginia, Jon Rahm said he did not “see a way out” of his current LIV contract, which runs for several more years.
Williams said that if DeChambeau did prioritize YouTube, he would not continue to contend in major championships. He compared the shift to a market where “the Yankees and the Dodgers are both bidding for him and now the Dodgers are no longer interested,” a sign that DeChambeau’s leverage has changed as LIV’s funding question moves closer to 2026. For now, the sharper reading is simple: DeChambeau can talk about YouTube, but Williams expects the majors to keep pulling him back.
