Bryson DeChambeau LIV Golf statement, Digi Mart USA News: Bryson DeChambeau says he is “not going to rewrite the last four years” in his first public statement since LIV Golf confirmed its intention to wind down, adding that he “gave everything” to keep the tour alive.
The two-time US Open champion joined LIV four years ago and maintained his commitment even after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund withdrew its financial backing for the breakaway tour in April. DeChambeau said in May he was “working hard to find a solution,” and in August, when it was confirmed the season would end early, he suggested “something fun is coming.”
In an Instagram post, the 33-year-old wrote: “I’m not going to rewrite the last four years – I made a decision I believed in and I’m grateful for what came with it,” referencing “record crowds” at LIV Golf events in Australia and South Africa. “I believed this game could reach more people, in more places, in a new way.
I still believe that and I gave it everything I had to keep team golf alive.”
LIV Golf this week confirmed its intention to wind down operations because of a lack of financial support. That was followed by a number of high-profile players, including two-time major winner Jon Rahm and England’s Lee Westwood, announcing they would quit the tour.
DeChambeau acknowledged his immediate future lies elsewhere, confirming he will play in Gary Player’s Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa in December. “Beyond that, I’ll go about whatever is next in the right way,” he said.
Quoting Arnold Palmer, he said “no player is bigger than the game” and acknowledged that “along the way, I’ve said some things that didn’t help.” “Whatever comes next, I’ll approach it with humility and respect for the people who carried this game long before me,” he added. “My passion has been to grow this game.
That’s still the goal.”
LIV Golf caused fissures to open up in the sport. Rory McIlroy was one of its most high-profile detractors and this week said LIV had attempted to “destroy the European Tour.”
DeChambeau reiterated his commitment to team golf, the concept central to LIV Golf, in which professionals were grouped together to compete for a team prize alongside individual honours. “I still believe in team golf,” said the captain of LIV’s Crushers team, which included England’s Paul Casey.
“It may look different in the future, but I still believe it’s essential to growing the game.”
