Rory McIlroy has taken a thinly veiled shot at Bryson DeChambeau as his rival plots his next move following the collapse of LIV Golf.
DeChambeau became the poster boy of the breakaway tour, which is heading for liquidation after failing to land the rescue funding it needed to stay alive.
During golf’s civil war, DeChambeau and McIlroy clashed both on and off the course and now the Northern Irishman has spoken out on his rival’s future.
The American, one of golf’s most divisive and recognizable figures, is searching for a new home, with the PGA Tour considered highly unlikely to open its doors for at least one full season.
Considering the golfing purgatory that DeChambeau finds himself in, McIlroy believes that the only competitive option left is the DP World Tour.
‘I think a name like Bryson DeChambeau and everything he brings with him, good and bad, he brings eyeballs, which is a good thing for tournaments,’ McIlroy said at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Rory McIlroy believes that Bryson DeChambeau would ‘bring eyeballs’ to the DP World Tour
After the collapse of LIV Golf, DeChambeau has not decided his next route for competitive golf
DeChambeau said he will approach his next steps with ‘humility and respect’
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‘And honestly – look, I’m certainly not in his shoes, and nor would I ever want to be – but it doesn’t seem like he’s got many options,’ McIlroy said. ‘If he wants to play competitive golf, it doesn’t seem like he’s got many options.’
DeChambeau has publicly flirted with the idea of doing away with competitive golf altogether to turn his YouTube channel into a full-time endeavor.
The 33-year-old boasts over three million subscribers to his channel and routinely passes the million-view mark on his videos.
While he has previously suggested he could focus on content creation while playing in the four majors, it’s never been clear how serious he was.
Despite LIV Golf shuttering its doors, DeChambeau did not express regret for his decision to leave the PGA Tour when he spoke about his future in a post to social media. He also addressed his past comments in the LIV-PGA war of words and said he would try a different approach.
‘Arnold Palmer said no player is bigger than the game, and I want to acknowledge that along the way, I’ve said some things that didn’t help,’ DeChambeau wrote in Sunday’s post. ‘Whatever comes next, I’ll approach it with humility and respect for the people who carried this game long before me.’
DeChambeau had an up-and-down final season with LIV. After winning in Singapore and South Africa, he failed to make the cut in three straight majors. He would finish tied for 14th at Royal Birkdale in the Open, but wouldn’t win again with LIV – finishing third place four times.
