Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed will be the next big names to join LIV Golf.
USA Today
HERTFORDSHIRE, England — Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed are the latest players set to join the LIV Golf Invitational Series, which will stage its inaugural 54-hole event beginning Thursday.
The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday that an announcement is imminent.
A source told SI.com/Morning Read that DeChambeau and Reed would take part in the first United States-based event, June 30-July 2, at Pumpkin Ridge outside of Portland, Oregon, and that they had signed on for multiple years.
LIV Golf representatives would not comment although there are plans for future announcements during the tournament at Centurion Club.
DeChambeau, 28, the 2020 U.S. Open champion, had long been discussed as one of the players considering a move to the new series of tournaments.
But in February when controversy erupted over comments critical of the PGA Tour by Phil Mickelson, there was a massive shift, with several players coming out in support of the PGA Tour and backing off talk with LIV Golf.
The original plan was for LIV Golf to start a league comprised of 14 tournaments this year with a team element a big part of the profile. LIV Golf pivoted to a series of eight tournaments this year with 10 scheduled for 2023 and the launch of the league in 2024.
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Despite all the negativity, LIV golf managed to secure several well-known players, including Mickelson, two-time major champion Dustin Johnson, former major champions Louis Oosthuizen, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer and Charl Schwartzel, along with longtime European stars Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter.
Adding Reed, the 2018 Masters winner, and DeChambeau would only bolster the lineup.
“Bryson has always been an innovator. Having the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something unique has always been intriguing to him,” said Brett Falkoff, DeChambeau’s agent. “Professional golf as we know it is changing and it’s happening quickly.”
DeChambeau, who has eight PGA Tour victories, has mostly endured a lost 2022 while has he has dealt with injuries, including a broken bone in his left hand that required surgery. He attempted to return too soon, missed the cut at the Masters, and then didn’t play again until last week’s Memorial Tournament, where he again missed the cut.
DeChambeau there was asked about LIV Golf, and his answer suggested he would be sticking with the PGA Tour.
“Every person out here has their own opinion on it,” he said. “For me, I personally don’t think that at this point in time I’m in a place in my career where I can risk things like that.
“I’m loyal to my family that I’ve created around me with sponsors and everything. And as of right now, the golf world is probably going to change in some capacity.
“I don’t know what that is. Not my job to do so. I’m just going to keep playing professional golf and enjoy it wherever it takes me, play with the best players in the world. That’s really all I’ve got, that’s what I’ll do for the rest of my life, because I want to be one of the best players in the world.”
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