Bryson DeChambeau hopes golf’s civil war will swiftly come to an end following his US Open victory, with news of progress between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund expected on Tuesday.
DeChambeau, who pipped Rory McIlroy to the major in a dramatic final round at Pinehurst on Sunday, concedes he is “part of the reason” for the schism in men’s golf after joining PIF-backed LIV Golf two years ago and filing an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour.
“If I’m to be quite frank, I hope we can figure things out quickly. I hope this can bridge the gap between a divided game,” he said.
“All I want to do is entertain and do my best for the game of golf, execute and provide some awesome entertainment for the fans. From at least what I can tell, that’s what the fans want, and they deserve that.
“You can say what’s happened in the past, you know, you were part of the reason. Let bygones be bygones and go figure it out. Let’s figure out this amazing game that creates so much positivity [and get it] back to where it belongs.”
Progress has been slow since the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF announced an outline agreement to reunite the sport 12 months ago but suggestions of a breakthrough in negotiations emerged last week before the US Open.
In the meantime the PGA Tour has strengthened its position by securing additional outside investment, while PIF has continued to bankroll high-profile signings to LIV Golf including former world No1 Jon Rahm.
DeChambeau, meanwhile, admits fearing that he would never recover major-winning form just two years ago after breaking his hand but realised he was back after a record-breaking win in LIV Golf last year.
“The low point was after the Masters 2022. I thought there was a chance I would not play high-level, competitive golf again, not knowing how it would affect my game and my speed and everything,” he said.
“That whole four or five-month period was pretty rough. There were some definite low moments. Made me rethink a lot of things in life. Where it turned the corner was a week before Greenbrier last year. I put a driver and shaft combination in play and that whole combination set-up just flipped the switch in me.
“I went and shot 61, 58 on the weekend. I’m like, ‘OK, Bryson’s here again. How do I turn this into major championship golf now?’. So right around that time is when things switched. I focused a lot of my energy on how to get another major title.”
Additional reporting by PA.
