“What people will pay for sportswashing” - Brandel Chamblee says LIV Golf’s $25,000,000 prize purses are ‘unsustainable’ in the market
Golf analyst Brandel Chamblee feels that LIV Golf's $25 million purse is uncertain in the market. The Saudi Public Investment Fund has made a substantial investment in the newly established series. Saudi Arabia has not only spent heavily on golf but also on other sports such as football.
Chamblee stated the Saudis are spending on sports washing, eradicating the competitiveness of sports. He stated in an interview with Golf.com that $25 million purses are unsustainable in the market.
"If the market is telling them based upon your 1.5 rating on TV or your 2.2 rating on TV that you can play for nine million dollars because corporations are not dump. They know what they can spend and the value that they get from the people that run these corporations," Brandel Chamblee said.
"They're the smartest people in the room. Okay, not Phil, not Patrick Cantlay. They're confusing. The corruption of certainly not market principles of what people will pay for sportswashing with reality and they think that's what they're worth. You know 25 million dollars purses are unsustainable based upon the obvious market," he added.
The LIV Golf has peeled away dozens of golfers from the DP World Tour and PGA Tour by offering them a lucrative amount of money. However, earlier this year, Tour announced a shocking merger with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.
"Phil should be removed from the Hall of Fame" - Brandel Chamblee demands Phil Mickelson should be penalized for defecting Tour
In the exclusive interview with Golf.com, Brandel Chamblee demanded that Phil Mickelson should be punished for defecting from the PGA Tour to join the LIV Golf series for money.
He said that the golfer should be removed from the World Hall of Fame because he caused 'irreparable' damage to the game.
“I think Phil should be removed from the Hall of Fame. I don’t think he has any business being in the Hall of Fame. He’s caused irreparable damage to the game. And if the Tour’s philanthropic aspect dies, the autopsy should read LIV. It should read Phil," Chamblee said.
The Golf analyst went on to explain that other golfers, defected Tour for LIV under the influence of Greg Norman, but it's different for Mickelson.
"When you look at the different players that defected to LIV, there was the you-wouldn’t-look-at-him-twice-in-Home Depot Taylor Gooch to the testosterone twin peaks of Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson to the flatulently egoed impresario Greg Norman," Brandel Chamblee added.
"But Phil was the only one that could really make a difference. He was the only one and he was not motivated by altruistic thoughts. He was moved and motivated by greed and that titled the game in that direction," he added.
It is pertinent to note that Phil Mickelson lost millions of dollars in gambling between 2010 and 2012. Reportedly, he agreed to sign a deal with LIV Golf to pay off his debts.