McIlroy says DeChambeau brings eyeballs to golf. To be determined is where he is seen

What came across as criticism in July sounded a lot more like a compliment Tuesday when Rory McIlroy contemplated the nebulous future of Bryson DeChambeau.

DeChambeau was theatrical as ever when he protested a two-shot penalty for improving the path of his swing while stomping around in waist-high grass at the British Open. There were questions whether he would withdraw and rumors he was planning to call President Donald Trump. It led to players having to wait until nearly midnight to get Saturday tee times.

“I think a lot of it is performative,” McIlroy said at Royal Birkdale, making clear he was not a big fan of DeChambeau.

And now? DeChambeau is searching for a new home after the demise of LIV Golf, which on Tuesday in New Jersey filed a joint Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan.

The PGA Tour typically has a one-year ban of players dating to their most recent LIV Golf appearance, which could be longer if there are other disciplinary considerations (such as DeChambeau being part of the antitrust lawsuit against the tour).

He has the option of joining the European tour from winning a major in the last five years. That was the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 when he got up-and-down with a 55-yard bunker shot to win by one over McIlroy, who peeled out of the parking lot without a word.

DeChambeau already was planning to play the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, which the European tour co-sanctions, on Dec. 4-7. He has until Sunday to inform the European tour whether he wants to take up membership.

It's that “performative” nature that makes McIlroy believe DeChambeau would be a positive addition to the European tour.

“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 at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

“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,” McIlroy said. “If he wants to play competitive golf, it doesn’t seem like he’s got many options.”

There's always YouTube, which has given DeChambeau plenty of eyeballs. He has more than 3 million subscribers. DeChambeau has suggested he could devote time to YouTube and play the four majors, though it's always hard to tell if he's serious.

In his first public comments since the breakaway golf league announced it would shutter rather than launch a new version, DeChambeau in a social media post Sunday expressed no regrets for his last four years on LIV Golf and offered no clear details what was next for him.

He also invoked Arnold Palmer in saying the golf universe doesn't revolve around him.

“Arnold Palmer said no player is bigger than the game, and I want to acknowledge that along the way, I’ve said some things that didn’t help,” DeChambeau wrote in Sunday’s post. “Whatever comes next, I’ll approach it with humility and respect for the people who carried this game long before me.”

It was Palmer who single-handedly put an end to Greg Norman's attempt to start a World Golf Tour in 1994, a separate league with big prize money for only the elite players. Palmer said at a players meeting that he didn't like the idea, and the plan lost support. That was one of many reasons Palmer was known as The King.

DeChambeau only said of his future, “I'll go about whatever is next the right way.” He also said he thought there was still a place in golf for team golf, even if it doesn't include his Crushers.

DeChambeau was picked for the last Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black in 2025, and he was performative and had eyeballs on him, just not many points. He won only one of the five matches he played, though he made a hellacious comeback to halve his singles match.

Are those eyeballs important for the U.S. team in Ireland next September? They might be considered more additive than valuable for a PGA Tour that already has the cream of golf minus a few players from LIV, DeChambeau and Rahm among them.

DeChambeau won five times on LIV Golf, one of those wins when he shot 58 in the final round at The Greenbrier. The limited schedule hasn't appeared to have any effect on his performance in the majors. Along with winning another U.S. Open, he finished one behind at the 2024 PGA Championship, played in the final group when McIlroy won the 2025 Masters and was runner-up to Scottie Scheffler in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

This year was a setback — missed cuts in three straight majors — until Royal Birkdale. The penalty took him out of the final group on Saturday. A lost ball for a triple bogey took him out of contention for good. He was high-fiving and engaging the crowd through it all.

Performative? Yes. Eyeballs? Most definitely. The stage? Still to be determined.

See AP’s full golf coverage here

FILE - Captain Bryson DeChambeau, of Crushers GC, putts on the 18th green during the final round of LIV Golf South Africa at The Club at Steyn City, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Midrand, South Africa. (LIV Golf via AP, File)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland lines up a putt on the first green during the final round of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

FILE - Bryson DeChambeau of the United States poses with fans and signs autographs by the 9th hole during a practice round for the British Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale golf club, in Southport, England, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)

FILE - Bryson DeChambeau celebrates after winning the U.S. Open golf tournament Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa’s most decorated Olympic athlete Tatjana Smith is changing nations to compete for the Netherlands, a decision she acknowledged Tuesday “may disappoint or break the hearts” of some supporters.

Two-time Olympic swimming champion Smith said in a sometimes tearful video message posted on Instagram: “I’ve decided to swim for the Netherlands.”

“I know that not everyone will understand or agree with my decision,” she said, citing “financial and practical challenges” that can make a swimming career difficult to sustain.

Smith won the 100 breaststroke title at the 2024 Paris Olympics and, as Tatjana Schoenmaker, the 200 breaststroke at the Tokyo Games held in 2021.

She also took two silvers, in the 100 at Tokyo and the 200 in Paris, to become South Africa’s most successful Olympic athlete. Swimmer Chad le Clos also has four medals though just one gold.

“Both countries are a part of who I am,” the 29-year-old Smith said. “But dreams can change as you grow.”

She retired from competitive swimming after Paris and announced a comeback two months ago, targeting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics — now in Dutch orange instead of South African green and gold.

Smith added athletes need a system where they can thrive and not just survive, suggesting she would have “greater high performance support” in future. She said she would continue training in South Africa.

See AP’s full sports coverage here

FILE - Tatjana Smith, of South Africa, celebrates after winning the women's 100-meter breaststroke final at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)