Bryson DeChambeau is still figuring out his golf future, but Rory McIlroy appeared to take a swipe at the LIV star this week.
Following news that the Saudi Investment Fund (PIF) would stop backing LIV at the end of the season –and with DeChambeau expecting harsh penalties in a potential PGA Tour return — he revealed that he might soon shift his focus to his YouTube channel.
Those comments seemingly made their way to McIlroy, and he had some pointed words for DeChambeau.
“If you want to be the most competitive golfer you can be, this is the place to be,” he told reporters at Quail Hollow. “And if you don’t want to play here, I think that says something about you.”
He also added earlier: “It’s a question on if they do want to come back. We’ve seen the quotes over the last few days.”
DeChambeau, who boasts over 2.6 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, said this week that he would love to grow his channel “three times, maybe even more” if and when LIV shutters for good.
“I would love to. I’d love to do a bunch of dubbing in different languages, giving the world more reason to watch YouTube,” he told reporters ahead of a tournament at Trump National Golf Club.
“And then I’d love to play tournaments that want me.”
DeChambeau, who left the PGA for LIV Golf in 2022, described a potential discipline from the PGA as “quite unfortunate,” though he did not divulge the specifics of such a penalty.
He reportedly spent time during the Masters talking with PGA officials about a pathway back.
However, he called the PIF’s decision to pull funding “completely shocking” and thought the league had a far bigger runway.
“I didn’t expect it to happen,” he said. ” A couple months before that, it’s like, ‘We’re here until 2032. We’ve got financing until 2032,’ and so I told everybody, and that’s what I was told.
“And then, you know, I haven’t had any communication. And unfortunately, things are moving on in a different direction. Obviously, they wanted to move on.”
McIlroy, meanwhile, admitted he was “probably too judgmental” on the players who initially left for LIV, as the PGA possibly prepares to welcome some back.
“It seems like some of the guys, again it all depends on what happens to LIV but if it is a scenario where they have the option to come back and play on the traditional tours, you know, I think Brian Rolapp (PGA Tour CEO) has said anything that makes this Tour stronger, anything that makes the DP World Tour stronger, I think everyone should be open to that,” he said.
‘That’s just good business practice. But again, I think there are a lot of bridges to cross to get there. Obviously guys over there are under contract. If they are able to keep it going and get a schedule together next year it seems like those guys are still going to play the majority of their golf on LIV in whatever form it takes.”
