Bryson DeChambeau originally signed with Bridgestone in 2016 after he turned professional and re-signed his endorsement deal to use the company’s golf balls in 2020, but a few weeks after DeChambeau’s decision to join the LIV Golf Invitational Series, a direct competitor to the PGA Tour, the player and brand have decided to split.
“The PGA Tour is an extremely important part of professional golf, and Bridgestone has a sports marketing relationship with this highly visible series of tournaments,” Bridgestone said in a statement. “In considering that Bryson DeChambeau will no longer be participating in these events, Bridgestone and Bryson have agreed to end their brand ambassador partnership.”
DeChambeau isn’t the first player to lose a sponsorship over the Saudi-backed golf league. Phil Mickelson and Callaway Golf agreed to pause their relationship in February, Lee Westwood no longer has a deal with UPS and Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell’s deals with Mastercard have been paused after their move to the breakaway tour.
In fact, this isn’t the first time DeChambeau lost a sponsorship due to his decision. On June 9th, Rocket Mortgage ended its relationship with the 2020 U.S. Open winner.
Bridgestone stills rosters names such as Tiger Woods, Jason Day and Lexi Thompson. DeChambeau, who won the 2020 U.S. Open using a Bridgestone ball, is expected to keep Bridgestone’s Tour B X ball in play for the foreseeable future.
