Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 U.S. Open Champion, and Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters Champion, are allegedly joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series, according to multiple reports.
The Daily Telegraph was first to report the news, saying an announcement from LIV was imminent. At the same time, Sports Illustrated reported that the two American players have signed on for multiple years with LIV Golf and will make their debut in the league’s first U.S.-based event.
After the inaugural LIV tournament starting Thursday in London, the following LIV event will take place in Portland, beginning on June 30.
The additions of DeChambeau and Reed bolster the LIV roster, which now has a total of at least nine former major champions who have made the jump from the PGA Tour.
Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson and six-time major winner Phil Mickelson are the other two most prominent names on the roster.
DeChambeau, 28, has long been linked to the LIV Golf tour but consistently denied rumors he would leave the PGA Tour, including as recently as six days ago.
“I think that’s mostly — a lot of it is private,” DeChambeau said at the Memorial Tournament. “There’s not any conversations that need to be made about that, other than the fact that, like, every person out here has their own opinion on it. Me, there’s obviously a lot of conversation. For me, I personally don’t think that at this point in time, I’m in a place in my career where I can risk things like that.
“I’m loyal to my family that I’ve created around me with sponsors and everything. And as of right now, the golf world is probably going to change in some capacity. I don’t know what that is. Not my job to do so. I’m just going to keep playing professional golf and enjoy it wherever it takes me, play with the best players in the world. That’s really all I’ve got; that’s what I’ll do for the rest of my life because I want to be one of the best players in the world.”
DeChambeau is reportedly receiving a nine-figure payday from LIV to make a move from the PGA Tour.
“Bryson has always been an innovator,” DeChambeau’s agent, Brett Falkoff of GSE Worldwide, said in a statement provided to multiple news outlets on Wednesday. “Having the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something unique has always been intriguing to him. Professional golf as we know it is changing, and it’s happening quickly.”
Reed, 31, has been a regular participant at the Saudi International golf tournament and was also long-linked to the LIV tour. However, both golfers have struggled mightily in 2022.
DeChambeau, an eight-time winner in the PGA Tour, has made just six starts this season because of a left-hand injury, which required surgery in April. He is currently ranked 28th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Reed has nine career PGA Tour victories but just two top 10 finishes in 19 starts this season. He is currently ranked 36th in the world.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has vowed that any tour member who competes in an event with the rival league would face potential punishment, including fines, suspensions, or bans.
The tour denied conflicting-event releases to all tour members who requested to compete in the inaugural London event.
Both Reed and DeChambeau are still expected to play at next week’s U.S. Open at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass. The U.S. Golf Association ruled on Tuesday that those associated with LIV Golf will be able to play in the year’s third major.
