Bryson DeChambeau accepts brutal cut-off from Tiger Woods: ‘It is what it is’
By Matt Chivers
Is there hostility between PGA Tour and LIV Golf players? If Bryson DeChambeau’s relationship with Tiger Woods is anything to go by, there is more tension than some are letting on.
As reported by Golfweek at LIV Golf’s third event of the year in Orlando, DeChambeau was asked if he’d been cut off by any old friends on the PGA Tour.
The US Open champion allegedly laughed before revealing one of the game’s best-ever players no longer speaks to him after controversially joining Greg Norman’s roster.
“Yeah, I’m not going to throw anyone under the bus. He’s been a great friend,” DeChambeau said of Woods. “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.”
Woods and DeChambeau played together as a foursomes pair at the 2018 Ryder Cup, but it became a week to forget as neither player scored a point for Team USA in France.
Fellow LIV competitors Brooks Koepka and Bubba Watson ruled out animosity from their side of the fence when speaking at the same event at Orange County National.
It’s no secret that some friendships have been compromised, none more clear and arguably more regrettable than Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia.
DeChambeau was part of the original list of 11 players included in an antitrust lawsuit filed against the PGA Tour in August 2022, having been suspended from the circuit.
The 29-year-old may have lost a friend in Woods, but he expressed contentment with his decision to join LIV and his excitement for the rebel league’s potential growth.
“I miss nothing,” he said about the PGA Tour. “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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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
