Brandel Chamblee responds to Claude Harmon III’s ‘paid actor’ claim

Golf Channel and NBC’s Brandel Chamblee has issued a lengthy statement responding to some strong claims made by Brooks Koepka’s coach Claude Harmon III.

In a quite significant outburst, Harmon claimed Chamblee was a “paid actor” for both broadcasting entities and criticised Chamblee’s scrutiny of LIV Golf and his allegations of sportswashing against the rebel tour.

Chamblee, a former PGA Tour player turned television analyst, has often been critical of LIV since the new circuit’s inception in June 2022.

He is also no stranger to debate on social media, so the 60-year-old posted his 538-word response on Twitter.

“The accusation that I am just a proxy for the opinion of my employer is a curious one to me, and while the natural back and forth with colleagues certainly informs my opinion, no one for whom I work with or for has ever tried to influence what I am going to say,” Chamblee said.

“I’d like to think that they trust whatever opinion I have, whether it agrees with theirs or not, I’ve done the research to back it up.

“Which is more than I can say for those who suggest that because there is evil everywhere, all evil is relativised and unless all of it can be addressed at the same time and in the same way, it should all be ignored.

“Especially, as in the case of the person who called me a paid actor, if they can somehow profit from the evil. This is where the debate crashes headfirst into the nexus of politics, sports and narcissistic greed.

The farrago of whataboutisms that inevitably accompanies any discussion on sportswashing, attempts, in answering a condemnation with an accusation, to impugn the credibility of the accuser and to distract from having to deal with the complexities of the question. Much like…

— Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) May 24, 2023

“Where those who want to escape it most often cloy at whataboutisms, to stop the discussion with a pejorative accusation because they don’t want their motives to be discovered.

“So while Brooks Koepka’s win at the PGA Championship was impressive,” he added, “it should not distract us from the simple fact that LIV players are being used for the benefit of some very bad people and to the detriment of a great many more good people.

“That LIV Golf, with its inability to develop stars and seeking to buy them like high-performance cars, is undermining the dignity intrinsic in golf.”

Chamblee also referred to Michael Block, “who stole the show at the PGA Championship with his gratitude and joy and of course with his incredibly sharp game.”

After Koepka won his fifth major at Oak Hill, Chamblee and fellow analyst Brad Faxon discussed whether LIV golfers should be involved in a Ryder Cup team.

Koepka has propelled himself into second in the Team USA standings despite playing just four legitimate OWGR events in 2023.

“They’re not playing for money at the Ryder Cup Brandel, they’re playing for their country – he’s an American,” Faxon said.

“They’re playing for their country, they’re not playing for their tour – there’s certainly a sense the Europeans are playing for their tour – I think you’re right, you make a reasonable point,” Chamblee replied.

“They’re playing golf,” Faxon added.

This debate after the final round included a number of awkward pauses and largely went viral on social media.

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