Rory McIlroy has become the face of European golf in recent years. This week, he is aiming to tie Colin Montgomerie for the most Race to Dubai titles at the DP World Tour Championship.
Playing on the DP World Tour on and off throughout his career and with a more consistent presence on the circuit over the last few seasons, McIlroy has seen firsthand the ebbs and flows of the league.
With LIV Golf 2.0 never getting off the ground and the upstart rival league to the PGA Tour now shuttering, players who appeared ready to continue calling that circuit home are now looking for new playing ground.
The DP World Tour has become the likeliest place for the lot given the PGA Tour’s policies. Players like Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have already crossed party lines and returned to the DP World Tour as they wait to learn whether there will be any avenue for them to return to the PGA Tour in 2027.
Thanks to his win at the 2024 U.S. Open, Bryson DeChambeau has status on the DP World Tour for the upcoming season, though it is unknown if he plans to play. Keeping his hand close to his vest, DeChambeau recently released a statement saying he will compete in the Nedbank Golf Challenge in December and then assess his situation next year.
McIlroy was asked to weigh in about the 33-year-old’s future playing possibilities.
“I think a name like Bryson DeChambeau and everything he brings with him, good and bad, he brings eyeballs, which is a good thing for tournaments,” McIlroy said. “And honestly, look, I’m certainly not in his shoes, and nor would I ever want to be, but it doesn’t seem like he’s got many options. You know, if he wants to play competitive golf, it doesn’t seem like he’s got many options.”
In May, DeChambeau contended that his schedule, one day, could consist of playing the four major championships and otherwise shooting videos for his YouTube channel, which has since surpassed 3 million subscribers.
DeChambeau’s last competitive tournament was LIV Golf Indianapolis in August. Since then, the two-time U.S. Open champion has released seven new videos on his channel, ranging from challenges with Gary Player to encounters with the Amish.
In early 2026, DeChambeau was among the four players the PGA Tour targeted via the Returning Member Program. Aimed at DeChambeau, Rahm, Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka, the pathway gave this quartet a window to return to the PGA Tour under strict stipulations with penalties. Only Koepka took the PGA Tour up on the offer as he got out of his contract with LIV Golf.
DeChambeau does not have as rosy a relationship with the Tour as Koepka, given his past actions. In 2022, DeChambeau was among 11 LIV Golf members to file a lawsuit against the PGA Tour, challenging the suspensions and the withholding of Player Impact Program (PIP) money. A year later, DeChambeau withdrew his name from the suit and continued with LIV Golf, where he has carried more than water the last four years.
