“He sold his career out” – Brandel Chamblee reacts to Jon Rahm departing the PGA tour for LIV golf
Brandel Chamblee blasted Jon Rahm after the latter announced his defection to LIV Golf on Thursday.
On Thursday, December 7, Rahm confirmed his move to the breakaway league, putting all speculation to bed. As expected, the golfer's decision received mixed reactions within the golf fraternity. Golf Channel analyst Chamblee was among those criticizing Rahm's move.
Chamblee, one of the biggest critics of the Saudi-backed league, was present at Golf Channel after Rahm's decision. He said that the majority of professional golfers are experiencing Stockholm syndrome. According to him, things changed after the PGA announced a deal with PIF earlier this June. He said:
"The framework agreement that the PGA Tour proposed and entered into with LIV, validating a partnership with them in some essence, and Zach Johnson picking Brooks Koepka - when he hadn't qualified for the Ryder Cup."
"And then look at Jon Rahm's words in the past, and the stark contrast of what he said in the past; what he intimated a great number of times in the past. It was clearly more convenient for him to do this. It's also clear that he sold his career out."
The 61-year-old former professional golfer has been one of the strongest voices against the Saudi circuit. In the past, he has accused the defected players of accepting blood money from Saudis. When the PGA Tour announced the deal with PIF in June, he referred to it as the saddest day in professional golf's history.
Earlier on Thursday, Jon Rahm stated that the criticism was part of being a public figure and wouldn't define him. He said, as per the Guardian:
"I’m no stranger to hearing some negative things on social media or in media. It’s part of what it is, we are public figures but you just learn to deal with it, right? This certainly won’t define or change who I am."
The World No. 3 golfer enjoyed more success than anyone else on the PGA Tour this season with four titles. Additionally, he made 18 cuts in 20 starts, including ten top-10 finishes. Moreover, he finished third in the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai season-long standings.
With Rahm's inclusion, LIV now has another current major champion, alongside Brooks Koepka. For the uninitiated, the Spaniard beat Koepka and Phil Mickelson by four strokes to win the Masters Tournament this year. Koepka also won the PGA Championship after beating Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler by two strokes.
How many titles has Jon Rahm won?
Here are all the wins of Jon Rahm on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour:
PGA Tour
2017:
- Farmers Insurance Open
2018:
- CareerBuilder Challenge
2019:
- Zurich Classic of New Orleans (with Ryan Palmer)
2020:
- Memorial Tournament
- BMW Championship
2021:
- U.S. Open
2022:
- Mexico Open
2023:
- Sentry Tournament of Champions
- The American Express (2)
- Genesis Invitational
- Masters Tournament
DP World Tour
2017:
- Dubai Duty-Free Irish Open
- DP World Tour Championship, Dubai
2018:
- Open de España
2019:
- Dubai Duty-Free Irish Open (2)
- Mutuactivos Open de España (2)
- DP World Tour Championship, Dubai (2)
2022:
- Acciona Open de España (3)
- DP World Tour Championship (3)