ROCHESTER, NY — Bryson DeChambeau shakes hands with Brooks Koepka on the 18th green during the third round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. | Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Bryson DeChambeau firmly believes Brooks Koepka’s win at Oak Hill solidifies LIV Golf as on par with the PGA Tour.
Two years ago, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau had quite the beef between them; their feud had taken over the golfing world.
They simply did not like each other, per Golf.com.
That has all changed as the two golfers now play for the Saudi-backed LIV Tour.
Following Koepka’s triumph at Oak Hill, DeChambeau made some interesting comments about the tour they play on.
“It validates everything we’ve said from the beginning. That we’re competing at the highest level, and we have the ability to win major championships,” DeChambeau said. “I really hope people can see the light now that we’re trying to provide the game of golf with something new and fresh.”
The LIV tour has drawn much criticism since its inception in 2022.
Photo by AMER HILABI/AFP via Getty Images
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA — Brooks Koepka celebrates on the podium following his win in the LIV Golf Invitational-Jeddah at the Royal Greens Golf Club on October 16, 2022. Koepka, now a five-time major-winner, secured the biggest payday of his career with a $4 million playoff win over close friend Peter Uihlein on the Saudi-funded LIV Golf breakaway tour. (Photo by Amer HILABI / AFP)
LIV, which gets its name from the Roman numeral for 54, are 54-hole events without a cut. The name also derives from the notion of shooting a 54—the score a player would have if they birdied every hole in their round on a par-72.
Moreover, only 48 players tee it up in LIV events played worldwide. But the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) fails to recognize these tournaments as legitimate.
Of course, the most significant criticism of the LIV Tour is who its beneficiary is. The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom, has invested almost $1 billion in LIV golf. The Saudi Kingdom does not have a stellar human-rights record, subjugates women, and lacks transparency.
Former PGA Tour players have received tens of millions—some of them hundreds of millions—to join LIV.
Conversely, the PGA Tour, and most other professional tours worldwide, holds a 72-hole competition stretching over four days each week. A 36-hole cut divides the field of 120 or more in half on Friday evenings, with those failing to make the weekend also failing to receive a paycheck.
Consequently, a schism exists between the two entities—the PGA and LIV have sued each other, with a battle in the courtroom likely looming in 2024.
But DeChambeau wants the entire golfing world to recognize LIV as legitimate and for all to come together.
“At the end of the day, both sides are going to have to come together at some point,” DeChambeau noted. “It’s for the good of the game.”
