“LIV Golf has been detrimental to the competitiveness”: Brandel Chamblee takes yet another jibe at Saudi-backed league
The public sentiment towards LIV Golf has shifted towards the positive in recent months, but Brandel Chamblee is not getting influenced by that. The former golfer has remained resolute in his disapproval of the rebel tour and recently reflected on the Major season from a LIV lens.
Chamblee offered up a "quick review" of how LIV Golf players have performed in the Major tournaments this year. He said he is aiming to see whether or not the tour has made them better golfers and if their absence at Majors does truly "dilute" the competition.
He wrote:
"27 different LIV players competed in the majors in 2024, for a combined 60 appearances. Collectively they had six top 10s (Bryson DeChambeau accounted for half of those) and finished outside the top 40, 41 times and missed 21 cuts."
Outside of Bryson DeChambeau's brilliance, LIV has just three top-10 finishes in all the Major tournaments this year. If he's removed from the equation, Chamblee noted that no one else finished in the top five.
He continued, saying that DeChambeau is "without a doubt one of the most compelling figures in the game." He also admitted that the level of engagement he has with fans was a "highlight" during the Masters, PGA Championship, US Open, and Open Championship. Otherwise, LIV was a disappointment.
Chamblee continued:
"It is a relatively small sample size given LIV has been playing for less than three years, but it’s safe to say that LIV Golf has been detrimental to the competitiveness of their careers when they compete at the highest level."
He also said that some golfers now on LIV are missed at these events, but that there is "very little evidence" that anything has been compromised without them. He concluded by noting that even the OWGR rankings aren't missing anything despite every LIV golfer's slide.
Brandel Chamblee has been anti-LIV for long
Recently, Chamblee admitted that he'd prefer to see a merger between the PGA Tour and PIF, the funding behind LIV Golf, rather than play the waiting game. However, he is still as anti-LIV Golf as they come.
Chamblee also exchanged barbs with LIV player Anthony Kim recently. They had a lengthy back-and-forth with insults strewn across the discussion. Kim has returned from a 12-year absence from the PGA Tour to play LIV in 2024.
Chamblee has never been shy about his opinions, but Kim hit back at him. He insulted Chamblee by calling him a "talentless p***y" and said he stands on everything he's said about the commentator.
If the two sides do come to an agreement, it's going to be interesting to see how the golf world reacts to Chamblee and whether or not he'll continue his anti-LIV sentiment.