Phil Mickelson’s worst critic once again drags the LIV golf pros through the mud. Brandel Chamblee, who has repeatedly criticized the LIV Golfers for their decisions, tweeted that the jump to the Saudi-backed side has come at their own cost. It’s their legacy they have tainted and, in some cases, let go of.
Chamblee questioned, “Are they as hungry?”, “Are they as tuned into the pulse of the core golfer, that BTW pays for the game and their salaries at least here in America?” The answer, according to the veteran broadcaster, was a big no. Chamblee also doesn’t think that golf will benefit in any way from this. Blasting the claims of ‘growing the game,’ the 61-year-old analyst wrote, “Will the game benefit from their decisions to go to LIV? Not a chance.”
Upping the ante further, Chamblee claimed that it only benefits “The Saudis. MBS (Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Saudi Crown Prince). Yassir (Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PIF Chairman). Top 30 players in the world.” The veteran Golf Channel analyst has time and again raked the LIV Golfers over the coals for ‘selling out’ to the breakaway side.
Phil Mickelson, being the face of the breakaway side and also the recruiter, quickly drew the ire of the veteran analyst. Since Mickelson joined the Saudi-backed side, Chamblee and the Lefty have been in a verbal spat that has led to blocking each other on X (formerly Twitter.) Notably, the six-time Major winner spared no words in lambasting Brandel Chamblee after he responded to the “paid actor” jab by Brooks Koepka’s coach with a lengthy tweet.
Chamblee once again disputed Mickelson’s claims that more PGA Tour pros are in line to join the breakaway side. In fact, the former professional golfer went to the length of saying that Jon Rahm “sold his career” to the PIF-funded league in a Golf Central interview. This time, however, the analyst was responding to Webb Simpson’s recent comments.
Webb Simpson feels sad for Dustin Johnson
The PGA Tour pro from La Quinta said that although Dustin Johnson is his buddy, he is still “a little sad” for the 39-year-old. “I love Dustin (Johnson), he’s a buddy of mine, but he had the opportunity to go down as one of the top 10 greatest players ever, and as soon as he signed his name to LIV – he still could be, but in the record books, we’ll never know. It’s not going to count.” The “young guys” think differently about Johnson after his LIV Golf switch, Simpson confessed.
The PGA Tour’s pro comment stands out, as Rory McIlroy and others seem to soften their stance towards the breakaway league. Interestingly, Brandel Chamblee, too, said that it’s in the best interest of the game that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf come together. In case that made you think the veteran also went soft on the breakaway league, he hasn’t. Not a chance.
