Brooks Koepka Takes Swing At Brandel Chamblee Amid Disputed LIV Golf Merger With PGA Tour
Brooks Koepka is telling former golf player and commentator Brandel Chamblee to kiss his putt amid the new LIV Golf merger with PGA Tour. On June 6, the PGA and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf made the shocking announcement that the two leagues have agreed to merge after years of bitter rivalry, per CNBC. The conflict between the golf entities has led to conflict among players and fans. However, it looks like the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are willing to leave the past behind.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan shared his excitement about the merger with CNBC. He said, "Going forward, fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we've always made — to promote competition of the best in professional golf and that we are committed to securing and driving the game's future." Still, for golf lovers everywhere, it's going to take a bit of getting used to and it seems like not everyone is on board.
For years, Chamblee has been an opponent of LIV Golf. So, when the news was announced, the commentator expressed his disappointment in the decision, per Golf Magic. He said, "When I first heard about it I was completely shocked... After the shock sort of ebbed away, I was hugely disappointed. I think this is one of the saddest days in the history of professional golf." While some may care about what Chamblee has to say, Koepka definitely does not — and even shaded the former golf player.
Brooks Koepka throws shade at Brandel Chamblee
Brooks Koepka is not holding back his thoughts when it comes to the new PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger. As it turns out, a lot of his remarks have been directed at his golf enemy, Brandel Chamblee. The commentator has long been against LIV Golf, not just because he was a part of the rival league PGA Tour, but because of their relationship with Saudi Arabia. In one tweet from May 2023, Chamblee shared, "As I have said many times, LIV Golf is not so much a sports entity as it is MBS / Saudi Arabia trying to hide their atrocities and launder its reputation by buying sports stars. Any yielding to or agreement with them is a deal with a murderous dictator." Who are these sports stars LIV Golf is supposedly buying out? Well, one just so happens to be Koepka.
According to Desert News, Koepka joined LIV Golf in 2022 and has since been the subject of Chamblee's criticism, among many other players. However, with the merger between the two golf entities, things have changed, and Koepka is not shying away from throwing the new deal in Chamblee's face. Amid the shocking merger, Koepka tweeted, "Welfare Check on Chamblee." Talk about hitting them where it hurts! Koepka knew the new merger would get under Chamblee's skin, and his jab toward the commentator was the icing on the cake for the golf star.
Phil Mickelson celebrates 'awesome day' in golf
Unsurprisingly, Phil Mickelson has also come out in support of the LIV Golf/PGA Tour merger. As many golf fans know, Mickelson has been a member of LIV Golf since summer 2022, when he signed a $200 million contract with PGA's former competition, according to Bleacher Report. Given Mickelson's longstanding career and influence within the golf world, his decision inspired outrage among PGA Tour purists. But he was also lambasted due to his past negative comments about Saudi Arabia. After signing the contract, however, Mickelson boasted about choosing the "winning side," according to The Guardian. "I think going forward you have to pick a side," Mickelson said in October 2022. "You have to pick what side do you think is going to be successful. And I firmly believe that I'm on the winning side of how things are going to evolve and shape in the coming years for professional golf."
Amid news of the merger, Mickelson retweeted a CNBC link, writing, "Awesome day today," alongside a smiley face emoji. His official Twitter account has also liked several tweets surrounding the conversation, including one supporting his forward-thinking business move. "Phil Mickelson being one step ahead of everyone gives the leather jacket a different tone," tweeted Dan Katz. Mickelson also liked Brooks Koepka's shady tweet about Brandel Chamblee, securing where he stands amid their feud.
Many professional golfers have chimed in on the news
Given that the PGA Tour's merger with LIV Golf is all anyone in the golf world is tweeting about, there have been plenty of colorful reactions. Max Homa, for example, entered the conversation with a bit of harmless humor. "Now that we're all friends, is it too late for us to workshop some of these team names?" he tweeted, alongside a screenshot that read "wtf is a cleek?" Homa also retweeted Graeme McDowell, an Irish golf star who plays on the LIV Golf team. "If you find out let me know brother," tweeted McDowell.
Previously, Homa expressed his allegiance to the PGA tour, although he did share that he'd begrudgingly embrace any former PGA Tour members who decided to leave LIV Golf, per Golf Monthly. Guess he doesn't have to worry about that now. Joel Dahmen also seemed to joke about the merger. "I've grown up being a fan of the 4 Aces. Maybe one day I get to play for them on the PGA Tour!" he tweeted, referencing one of LIV Golf's most popular golf teams. At this time, Tiger Woods and many other top names have yet to speak out about the PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger. However, according to Bleacher Report, officials willingly kept news of the merger a secret until papers were signed. They also noted, Collin Morikawa who tweeted, "I love finding out morning news on Twitter."