Ex SMU Star Bryson DeChambeau Breaks Silence On LIV Golf's Death

Before Bryson DeChambeau became one of professional golf's most controversial figures, he was making history at SMU.

Now, the former Mustangs star and two-time U.S. Open champion is facing perhaps the biggest crossroads of his professional career following the collapse of LIV Golf.

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DeChambeau broke his silence Sunday, three days after the Saudi-backed golf league announced plans to liquidate its operations following a failed attempt to restructure the organization.

And while the 33-year-old isn't apologizing for leaving the PGA Tour, he does acknowledge some regrets.

"I'm not going to rewrite the last four years," DeChambeau wrote on social media. "I made a decision I believed in."

For SMU golf fans, DeChambeau's career has been remarkable, regardless of where he's played professionally.

In 2015, he became the first golfer in SMU history to capture the NCAA individual national championship, winning by one stroke at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.

Later that summer, he captured the U.S. Amateur Championship, becoming just the fifth golfer to win both titles in the same year.

That extraordinary amateur success launched a professional career that eventually included U.S. Open victories in 2020 and 2024.

But his decision to join LIV Golf in 2022 made him one of the most recognizable faces of the sport's bitter divide.

DeChambeau defended the breakaway league throughout its existence, championing its team format and opportunities to introduce professional golf to international audiences.

Despite LIV's financial failure, those beliefs haven't disappeared.

"I still believe in team golf," he wrote. "It may look different in the future, but I still believe it's essential to growing the game."

However, DeChambeau also struck a noticeably different tone when discussing his role in golf's contentious recent history.

Invoking Arnold Palmer's belief that no player is bigger than golf itself, DeChambeau admitted he'd made comments that contributed to the sport's divisions.

"Along the way, I've said some things that didn't help," he acknowledged.

His next competitive appearance is scheduled for December 3-6 at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, where he'll compete in a tournament associated with Gary Player.

Beyond that, his plans remain uncertain.

DeChambeau could potentially pursue full membership on the DP World Tour in 2027, although he hasn't publicly committed to that move. A return to the PGA Tour would involve a separate eligibility process.

For SMU, DeChambeau remains one of the university's most accomplished athletic alumni, regardless of the controversy surrounding his professional decisions.

His NCAA championship helped establish the Mustangs' place in college golf history.

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Now, more than a decade after his breakthrough in an SMU uniform, the former Mustang finds himself preparing for another reinvention.

And with LIV Golf disappearing, the question is whether DeChambeau's next chapter will reunite him with the traditional professional golf establishment he once helped challenge.