Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley believes Bryson DeChambeau needs to return to golf’s traditional tours to boost his hopes of winning majors again. DeChambeau's competitive future remains uncertain, following the demise of LIV Golf, with no pathway currently in place for an immediate return to the PGA Tour and no confirmation of how frequently he plans to tee it up in 2027. The two-time major champion said in a statement on Sunday that he 'still believes in team golf', with the two-time US Open champion pledging to approach the next part of his career "with humility and respect." He previous said he would focus on YouTube golf and "play tournaments that want him" if LIV Golf didn't survive, then recently revealed on the "Figuring Out" podcast that he hoped it 'exists forever' before the league entered the liquidation phase of bankruptcy.
On the possibility of YouTube golf becoming DeChambeau's focus going forward, McGinley told the Sky Sports Golf podcast: "You never know with Bryson, but I can see it. It would be a dumb move, to go from playing YouTube golf to trying to compete in majors. Subscribe now on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Spreaker "The longer Bryson stays away and off traditional platforms, the less chance he has of winning major championships going forward, because you cut your teeth in week-to-week PGA Tour and DP World Tour events before you elevate into these major championships.
"If you're cutting your teeth playing fun golf and LIV golf, it's a massive step up to then try and compete at the very top against the best players in the world - it's just not going to happen. "You're training and preparing to win major championships at such a low level that you cannot step up in that way. If he does it [sticks with YouTube and team golf], I think it would pretty much close the door on him winning major championships during that period of time.
"If he comes back and plays the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour in the years to come, I think he could become a factor again winning majors, but not from LIV 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and not even from YouTube golf." DeChambeau was one of only two players to win a major while an active LIV Golf player, snatching the 2024 US Open before posting three top-10s in majors the following year, then missed the cut in the first three majors of 2026 as uncertainty grew over LIV Golf's future. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player "With these guys who went to LIV, in the first couple of years they went, they were pretty competitive when it came to playing majors," McGinley explained. "The longer they stayed on LIV, the more disconnected they got from the top of the leaderboards in these majors.
"When Jon Rahm went to LIV, he was best player that Europe had in Italy in the Ryder Cup, the current Masters champion and one of the world's best. He went from that position to becoming a non-event when it comes to major championships. "If you took money out of the equation and it was the same on LIV as it was on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
If you said to each player 'which platform is going to give you the best opportunity to win major championships?', none of them would pick LIV. "The reason they picked LIV and went on LIV was purely for financial reasons - it was not the ideal platform to prepare to win major championships." DeChambeau is eligible to apply for DP World Tour membership for the 2027 season based on being a recent major champion, although has a November 15 deadline to confirm his position. Sergio Garcia is among those to have their intention to return to the European circuit next year, having previously criticised the tour, with many DP World Tour players unhappy with the decision to welcome LIV Golf players back.
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