Brandel Chamblee Holds Out Hope PGA Tour-LIV Golf Merger Won't Happen, Suggests Government Intervention
Many people are upset about the PGA Tour merging with LIV Golf. Perhaps no one more so than Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee.
Chamblee has been outspoken about LIV Golf since its inception. And, when the announcement came this week that the PGA Tour was merging with the Saudi-backed league, he responded in kind.
“I was hugely disappointed (about the PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger),” Chamblee said. “This is one of the saddest days in the history of professional golf. I do believe that the governing bodies … sacrificed their principles for profit.”
But Thursday, Chamblee suggested that the merger might never happen.
"If it’s not blocked by the player board, it will likely be blocked by the DOJ, and if not that regulatory committee, the senate," Chamblee wrote on Twitter. "And then the regulatory review of the EU and equivalent bodies in Asia. This is a long way from being a done deal."
One Twitter user asked if Chamblee had any actual legal insight. Chamblee indicated that he does.
Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee tweeted Thursday that the PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger might face legal hurdles
I won't pretend to have any insight on the inner workings of how these deals can play out from the government's perspective. However, I do find it hard to believe that this deal was made and announced publicly without some knowledge that it will go through.
Either way, the more interesting piece is just how dug-in Brandel Chamblee is here. He really does not want the PGA Tour anywhere near LIV Golf.
In a way, you have to respect it. Whether or not you agree with him, he is sticking to his guns.
As a guy who presumably will continue to cover golf when the merger inevitably goes through, he's potentially sacrificing future employment opportunities.
But, he believes what he is saying, and ultimately that deserves some respect.