OAKMONT, Pa. -- Reigning U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau said Tuesday that he hopes to reach a new deal with the LIV Golf League by the end of the year.
DeChambeau, one of the breakaway circuit's biggest stars, said his current LIV Golf contract, reportedly worth more than $100 million, ends after the 2026 season.
"We're looking to negotiate [at the] end of this year, and I'm very excited," DeChambeau said. "They see the value in me. I see the value in what they can provide, and I believe we'll come to some sort of resolution on that. Super excited for the future."
When ESPN asked DeChambeau if he hoped the LIV Golf League and PGA Tour could reach a deal to bring the circuits back together, he expressed a desire to be a part of the group seeking a solution.
"I would love to help," DeChambeau said. "I think I've got some good ideas. I'd love collaboration from both sides, from the player side, it's not just upper management level. But I'd love to have players from the tour side and players from the LIV side come together and say, 'Hey, what do we want to do? What are we trying to accomplish here?'
"What does the professional game of golf look like in 10 years? That's the biggest question that I ask everyone out here when we're having that conversation. Very few have an idea of what it looks like, and I personally want a viable solution for both."
The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which is funding LIV Golf, reached a framework agreement on June 6, 2023. The sides haven't been able to reach a deal in the two years since.
Sources told ESPN that the sides haven't talked since PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan met with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and player directors Tiger Woods and Adam Scott at the White House on Feb. 20.
DeChambeau visited President Donald Trump at the White House on June 2.
"Things are changing, so we'll see," DeChambeau said. "We'll see what happens. You've got to remember that [Al-Rumayyan] is an investor, right? He's going to want a business plan. He wants to see something that can have a good return on how much he's putting in.
"I hope that the PGA Tour can see that and go, 'Okay, we need to step up our game and actually provide a good, solid option.' If not, then it doesn't work, and the PGA Tour is the PGA Tour, and [Al-Rumayyan] is going to do what he's going to do, I don't know what that is"
While LIV Golf has had well-attended tournaments in Australia, Korea and Spain, it has struggled to gain TV viewers and has experienced middling interest in the U.S.
"I think that LIV is not going anywhere," DeChambeau said. "[Al-Rumayyan] has been steadfast in his belief on team golf, and whether everybody believes in it or not, I think it's a viable option. I think it's a viable commercial option."
"TGL has done a great job. They've got some teams that are making some money, and I believe there is a sustainable model out there. How it all works with the game of golf, who knows, but I know my worth. I know what LIV brings to the table. And I'm excited for the future of what golf is going to be."
DeChambeau is among the high-profile LIV Golf stars whose initial contracts with the league are set to expire during the next 18 months. LIV Golf also lured away past major champions Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Jon Rahm and others with contracts that included guaranteed signing bonuses and $25 million purses.
DeChambeau's worth has certainly increased since he signed with LIV Golf in June 2022. He picked up his second U.S. Open title at Pinehurst No. 2 last year, and has more than 2 million followers on his YouTube channel.
"I think for any golfer out here trying to win the U.S. Open, there's just as much pressure," DeChambeau said. "You can put as much pressure on yourself as you want. I try to look at it as there's a lot of fans out there. I'm excited to showcase my skill sets and try to play the best golf I possibly can, and if that adds up to the lowest number out here, great. If not, I've got to work harder."
DeChambeau was among the 11 LIV Golf players who sued the PGA Tour in federal court in California in August 2022, alleging the tour was using its monopoly power to quash competition and that it had discouraged TV networks, vendors and other companies from working with LIV Golf. The PGA Tour filed a countersuit, in which it accused LIV Golf of interfering with its contracts with players. The sides dropped their lawsuits when a framework agreement was reached.
It's also unclear if DeChambeau and other LIV Golf players would face a suspension before they would be reinstated by the PGA Tour if a deal is ever reached.
"History is created wherever you make it," DeChambeau said. "The tour started somewhere. Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan, they all won when the tour was very young. They created the history for the futures stars. Is it going to take time for LIV? Yeah. Do I see the value in the PGA Tour? Yes. Do I see the value in LIV? Yes."