Dechambeau: ‘My mom would have probably smacked me for not taking LIV deal’
The LIV golfer was again peppered with questions about talks with the PGA Tour – and came up with an unusual response
Resisting LIV Golf’s advances may have meant more for Bryson DeChambeau than simply turning down a pile of Saudi cash.
“I think my mom would have probably smacked me for not taking the deal,” the Crushers skipper told media at the Masters as he once again addressed the LIV Golf-PGA Tour schism.
Asked about the impact of a LIV player putting on the green jacket this week, DeChambeau said he believed negotiations were going on “with or without a win” and planned to keep talking to find common ground.
“I’ve had visions of this for quite a long time,” he said. “You can’t publicly say them, unfortunately, because you get scrutinised and criticised and everybody throws things in certain ways to give you curve balls.
“I want to be very careful and cautious because I don’t know what the future of golf fully looks like, and I’m just a bystander trying to play some golf and trying to help advocate for the fans to win again. They need to win.
DeChambeau: “I’d love to play Tiger’s event’
“And people can say I moved to one side, but I did it for my family and what I had in front of me at that point in time. I think my mom would have probably smacked me for not taking the deal.
“Everybody has their own prerogatives and wishes and wants, and the only thing I wish is that we can all see eye to eye on some things and that we can come back to some level playing field where we can all have some fun together.”
DeChambeau said he did not know whether he was still suspended by the PGA Tour – “communications have not been there” – but on whether he would be willing to apply for reinstatement, added: “Look, I would love to continue to showcase my skill set around the world in different places, whether it be Shriners or the Arnold Palmer, Mr. Nicklaus’ event, TPC Las Vegas. I’d love to play those events. They’ve been great to me. Shoot, even Riviera.
“I’d love to play Tiger’s event; put on a fantastic event in a good community and around some great people. That’s what I look forward to hopefully being able to do down the road.
“Do I want to play a full schedule? You know what, I don’t know. We’ll see how things shake out. I don’t know what the future is going to look like, and I’m not here to decide that.
“But would I like to play a few? Sure, ones that I truly enjoyed and had a lot of friends with and helped impact the community in a positive way, absolutely.”
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
