LIV Golf boss issues plea to Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm after major announcement

LIV Golf boss Scott O'Neil says he hopes Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm "come along for the ride" after confirming the breakaway tour has reached an agreement with a new investor to keep the league afloat in 2027.

O'Neil confirmed the news on Wednesday ahead of LIV's stop in New York, although the former NBA executive did not identify the investor or disclose the value of the agreement, which he expects to be finalised next month.

The agreement, if ratified, will allow LIV Golf to forge ahead without Saudi funding, but big questions remain, including the futures of DeChambeau and Rahm.

DeChambeau's contract expires at the end of the season, while Rahm, 31, is understood to have penned a deal taking him through to the conclusion of the 2029 campaign.

The American, 32, reportedly asked for as much as $500m to stay with LIV before the PIF turned off the spigot and even floated the idea of focusing on growing his YouTube channel if the league did not survive.

Rahm, meanwhile, is reportedly owed as much as $150m from his initial deal.

There have been reports the league was preparing to file for bankruptcy, which would allow for a restructuring of debt and player contracts.

Under that scenario, Rahm would become LIV's biggest creditor.

Whether the duo can be convinced to stick around for a smaller schedule with reduced purses remains to be seen.

Asked about the prospect of keeping both, O'Neil said: "I would certainly love them to come along for the ride and journey because they carry maybe more weight than anybody in the game and I have a lot of time for that.

"I think we have enough support from enough players, and we have such an interesting format and global format, I think we'll do quite well in getting the right stars for this game."

O'Neil said LIV has been "blessed with stars" since its launch. 

"For those of you who have had the privilege and pleasure to travel with us around the world, you get to see it," he said. 

"But I don't think there was any bigger star on the planet in South Africa than Dean Burmester.

"And I don't think there was any bigger star on the planet than Cam Smith when we were in Australia.

"I think when you have a global game and you have 57 players from 21 countries and you're playing in 10 countries on five continents, how you define stars gets really interesting.

"So while I have all the time in the world for Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, I think I'd be remiss in saying they're not only two of the biggest, best golfers on the planet, but I think they're some of the biggest stars in sports, let alone golf.

DeChambeau was heavily involved in LIV's search for fresh investment and reportedly attended pitches alongside O'Neil. 

He led a players' only meeting on Tuesday, 24 hours before the deal with the unnamed investor was announced. 

Rahm has remain tight-lipped on his future. 

In May, he reiterated that he did not regret moving to LIV Golf and that he was unbothered by the league's uncertain future. 

"My job is to play golf, and that’s what I can focus on," he said. 

"It's the people in charge of LIV – whose job I do not envy for a second, not now, and not when things are going well – it's their job to fix it. 

"I have faith in the work that they’re doing. I have faith that they’re going to come up with a good plan. 

"Until that plan is explained to us, it's not that there isn't anything to worry about, but I don't think I need to add any attention to it."