WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – To hear Bryson DeChambeau tell it, don’t expect Tiger Woods to be inviting him to join he and Justin Thomas for a practice round at the Masters next week.
One of the drawbacks for players who have defected to LIV Golf is that it has frayed relationships between friends – Rory McIlroy, who was a groomsman at Sergio Garcia’s wedding, has gone through a falling out with his Ryder Cup teammate, and Keegan Bradley has spoken about the awkwardness of his pal Brendan Steele leaving for seemingly richer pastures recently. DeChambeau, who had just finished practicing his putting ahead of the LIV Orlando event beginning Friday, suggested he’s received some blowback for taking the Saudi-backed league’s money from none other than Woods.
Conceding that he tended to be more of a lone wolf keeping to his team at tournaments, DeChambeau said, “I was always kind of a guy who did it myself so I didn’t have too much contact with too many players but we’re cordial. I’ve talked with Jordan (Spieth) numerous times at Dallas National, anybody that’s out there, Will (Zalatoris) I’ve had a couple of conversations with but no problems.”
Asked if anybody had cut him off, DeChambeau answered, “Yeah, definitely, I’m sure you can guess who.”
DeChambeau chuckled.
When asked if he was referring to Woods, DeChambeau said, “Yeah, I’m not going to throw anyone under the bus. He’s been a great friend. I texted him on his birthday. It is what it is. He has his viewpoints on it and thinks we’re potentially hurting his record. If anything, nobody is ever going to touch his record. That’s just it, that’s the bottom line. There’s a chance to grow the game even more and I hope one day he’ll see the vision that we all have out here.”
DeChambeau won the 2020 U.S. Open and a total of eight PGA Tour titles before signing with LIV in June reportedly for more than $125 million. DeChambeau still is involved in LIV’s lawsuit with the PGA Tour.
What does he miss about playing on the Tour where Woods is tied with Sam Snead for the most career wins and ranks as the all-time leading money winner?
“I miss nothing,” DeChambeau at Orange County National ahead of the LIV Golf Orlando event which starts Friday. “I mean, I love the fans, I love the people who came to support me. I loved all that. We’re starting to get the crowds out here, slowly but surely. People are starting to get what the model is and people are starting to like the teams a bit. From what I can see, the general consensus is things are moving in a more positive direction and I’m pleased with that.”
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