Brandel Chamblee Doesn't Think Jon Rahm's Move To LIV Golf Was A 'Tipping Point,' He Believes He Was 'Bought'
Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee has been among the most-vocal critics of LIV Golf. Whether it be taking aim at players who have joined the league, the fact that it is solely funded by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), or the simple fact that LIV's existence has driven a wedge through the middle of professional golf, Chamblee doesn't appreciate one aspect of the breakaway circuit.
Whether you agree with Chamblee's anti-LIV stance is your own prerogative, but his latest comments regarding Jon Rahm's surprise move to the Saudi-backed circuit ring rather true, and even the biggest LIV supporters out there should be willing to admit that.
The PGA Tour undoubtedly lost one of its biggest stars when Rahm announced at the end of 2023 that he would be taking his talents to LIV Golf. The move shook the golf world, but seeing as how the sport was already flipped on its head, the reality is that his departure doesn't appear to have had the impact many, including Rahm himself, would have predicted.
Ahead of this week's Masters, Rahm admitted that he recognized his departure for LIV may have been a catalyst for change in the sport.
"I could be the start of a tipping point in that sense," Rahm told the BBC. "I understood the weight that decision could have and the impact it could have. I understood that perfectly and that’s why it wasn’t an easy decision.
"The balance of golf could be disturbed a little bit. Luckily in my career, especially last year, I accomplished a lot and I got to be one of the bigger names in golf. There are few active players that could have had a bigger impact than myself in that sense. Not to be patting myself on the back too much, but I understood the position I was in."
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Rahm has certainly made an impact on professional golf over the years, winning two major trophies and spending a full year as the No. 1 ranked player in the game. It's understandable for him to subscribe to the idea that his bolting from the PGA Tour could have done something, anything, when it comes to a potential coming together in the sport.
The fact of the matter is that the divide in the sport is still very much there and for as often as the PGA Tour and Saudi PIF want to suggest they're working on an agreement or investment plan, things continue to move at a snail's pace.
Brandel Chamblee Doesn't Pull Punches
Chamblee was sure to remind Rahm, and the golf world as a whole, of that reality during Monday's edition of ‘Live From The Masters.’
"He thought his departure was gonna be the tipping point. It wasn’t the tipping point at all," Chamblee explained.
"Generally speaking, I think that he went from being viewed as his own man to being somebody that could be bought. He went from being viewed as somebody who would state their principle very clearly of history and legacy, and then turns back on those principles for money and finances."
The idea that Rahm was "bought" may come across as harsh, but that doesn't mean it's any less true.
(Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
The Spaniard agreed to a deal worth a reported $350 million. He's admitted multiple times that money played a role in his decision, which is completely understandable. But it also adds to the point Chamblee has made time and time again that certain players have ‘sold out’ to LIV.
Rahm, who had earned over $77 million on the PGA Tour before leaving for LIV, constantly talks about the history of the game and the legacy he wants to build behind the footsteps of his hero Seve Ballesteros.
As Chamblee alluded to, it's hard to take any of those sentiments all too seriously when he jumped at the opportunity to play for guaranteed money on a circuit that has disrupted professional golf for nearly two full years.