Bridgestone ended its partnership with Bryson DeChambeau on Tuesday after he recently made the decision to join the LIV Golf Invitational Series.
The world’s largest tire and rubber company wrote in a statement that the PGA Tour is an “extremely important part of professional golf” and that the company has relationship with the “highly visible series of tournaments.”
With DeChambeau not participating in PGA events, “Bridgestone and Bryson have agreed to end their brand ambassador partnership,” the statement read, per Golf.com’s Jonathan Wall.
Initially, DeChambeau signed with Bridgestone in 2016 when he became a professional and renewed his endorsement deal for the company’s golf balls in 2020. He is a part of a list of others who have lost or paused endorsement or partnership deals due to joining the Saudi-backed golf league.
Phil Mickelson’s partnership with Callaway Golf was paused. Lee Westwood lost his deal with UPS. Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell’s deals with Mastercard USA were paused when both golfers made the decision to move to the LIV tour.
DeChambeau previously said it was “business decision” to join the Saudi-backed circuit. Other golfers like Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed have also bolted for the LIV series.
While Bridgestone will no longer work with the 2020 U.S. Open winner, DeChambeau reportedly plans to keep using the company’s Tour B X ball in the future, per USA Today. Despite DeChambeau’s departure to the LIV circuit, three of the top golfers in the world like Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas remain committed to the PGA Tour.
