Bryson DeChambeau claims McIlroy's 'ego got in the way' after LIV Golf u-turn
Bryson DeChambeau believes Rory McIlroy's softened stance on LIV Golf came after the 'egos' of the Northern Irishman and his fellow PGA Tour loyalists had initially got in the way of welcoming the breakaway league into the professional game.
After emerging in June 2022, LIV found themselves at war with the PGA Tour, with one of their biggest critics being McIlroy. Following the turn of the year though, the Northern Irishman appears to be ready to accept the LIV setup, with a deal between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) inching closer.
Suggesting just how the breakaway league can be adapted into the pro golf ecosystem, he told Sky Bet's Stick to Football: "What I would love LIV to turn into is almost like the Indian Premier League of golf.
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"The IPL in cricket, they take two months during the calendar, you have four weeks in May and four weeks in November, and you go and do this team stuff – it’s a bit different, and it’s a different format. If they were to do something like that, I think that sounds like fun – you’re at least working within the ecosystem...
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"Hopefully we can all put our heads together and think about what is best for the game going forward.” A number of LIV's biggest names have welcomed McIlroy's u-turn, with the latest being former U.S. Open champion DeChambeau.
The American became one of the breakaway league's marquee signings in 2022, and has been an avid advocate of the setup ever since. "[McIlroy] realises the game has to come back together. As do all of us," DeChambeau told Sports Illustrated. "I’ve said from day one I want the game to come back together.
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Rory McIlroy has softened his stance on LIV Golf (Getty)"We need the game to come back together. Not just for ourselves to play against the best players. But for the fans to see us play against each other again. And for the game of golf to grow the way we know it can. I just wish people would have taken meetings in the beginning. It was always simple. Egos got in the way."
McIlroy had previously been hyper-critical of those who chose to leave the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, to make the Saudi switch. Heading into 2024 though, the Northern Irishman admitted he may have been a tad too harsh when criticising his fellow players.
He added: "I think at this point, I was maybe a little judgmental of the guys who went to LIV golf at the start, and I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realise that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Wood’s position.
"We all turn professionals to making a living playing the sports that we do, and I think that’s what I realised over the last two years. I can’t judge people for making that decision, so if I regret anything, it was probably being too judgmental at the start.”
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