Analyst Brandel Chamblee of Golf Channel concurs with Rory McIlroy that a PIF deal on the PGA Tour is currently the “better end of the bargain.”
Like Rory McIlroy, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee has completely changed the PGA Tour’s position on Saudi Arabian investment in the game.
Since the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) was involved in the creation of the breakaway LIV Golf circuit in the summer of 2022, Chamblee—who earned his only PGA Tour title at the Greater Vancouver Open in 1998—has been among the most outspoken critics of the PIF.
“One of the saddest days in pro golf,” a frustrated Chamblee declared after the PGA Tour revealed in June of last year that it was preparing a surprise merger with PIF, the bankrollers of LIV Golf.
To see Chamblee’s true feelings regarding the PIF’s involvement in the game, all you have to do is scroll through his Twitter timeline from the previous two years.
or perhaps felt, as it were.
After almost a year has passed, McIlroy and Chamblee agree that a deal between the PGA Tour and PIF is necessary in an effort to bring the professional game closer together.
McIlroy has been named as a member of a seven-person “transaction subcommittee” that will represent the PGA Tour in its ongoing negotiations with PIF, despite the fact that he confirmed this week that he has been denied the opportunity to rejoin the PGA Tour policy board.
Although Chamblee acknowledges that a year ago, he would not have made the statements below, he now believes that the PGA Tour should approve its framework agreement with PIF since it is now getting “the better end of the bargain.”
According to Chamblee, the PGA Tour is unable to match LIV Golf’s spending binge and will not be able to retain its top players, such as Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith, as it has done in recent seasons.
WATCH CHAMBLEE’S LATEST COMMENTS HERE:
In perhaps the biggest reversal since the Framework Agreement on June 6, Golf Channel Brandel Chamblee now claims that reaching an agreement with the PIF “is the better end of the bargain.”
He Says:
Like it or not, the PGA Tour is in a difficult situation. Would you like to compete against someone (LIV)? tweet.com/XDZaC1I6B8
— JCAGOLFReport (@JCAGOLFReport) May 10, 2024
Chamblee said:
Whether you like it or not, the PGA Tour is in a difficult situation. Would you like to compete against someone who isn’t going away and can outspend you (PIF)? That person is LIV Golf.
“Every change they make to improve their tour erases your tour and creates more division among the participants.
“To Rory’s point about striking a deal, the time is now. A year ago, I wouldn’t have said that, but it’s the better end of the deal.”
How do you interpret Chamblee’s 180-degree turn regarding the PGA Tour and PIF? Do you think there will ever be an agreement between the bankrollers of LIV Golf and the PGA Tour? Post your opinions on GolfMagic’s social media pages.
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