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Bryson DeChambeau has revealed his mother would “have probably smacked me” had he resisted the overtures of LIV Golf.

The 2020 US Open champion became one of the highest profile defectors to the Saudi-funded breakaway league back in 2022 in a reported nine-figure deal.

Just months before joining LIV, DeChambeau had released a statement declaring his loyalty to the PGA Tour. But since joining LIV, he has championed Greg Norman’s series, whilst calling for an end to the fierce divide in the men’s professional game.

DeChambeau, of course, is indefinitely banned from playing on the PGA Tour as the circuit continues to negotiate a definitive peace deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund which bankrolls the LIV startup.

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But ahead of this week’s Masters, the Californian has defended his decision to turn his back on his former domain.

“People can say I moved to one side, but I did it for my family and what I had in front of me at that point in time,” he said. “I think my mom would have probably smacked me for not taking the deal.”

Whilst uncertainty still reigns on the fairways, hopes remain that an agreement between the warring factions could end the split talent pool and bring the game’s best players together.

And DeChambeau has outlined his desire to return to some of the PGA Tour’s biggest events once more.

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“Look, I would love to continue to showcase my skill set around the world in different places, whether it be Shriners or the Arnold Palmer, Mr. Nicklaus’ event [The Memorial], TPC Las Vegas,” DeChambeau said, as per Gulf News.

“I’d love to play those events. They’ve been great to me. Shoot, even Riviera [Genesis Invitational]. I’d love to play Tiger’s event; put on a fantastic event in a good community and around some great people. That’s what I look forward to hopefully being able to do down the road.

“Do I want to play a full schedule? You know what, I don’t know. We’ll see how things shake out. I don’t know what the future is going to look like, and I’m not here to decide that.

“But would I like to play a few? Sure, ones that I truly enjoyed and had a lot of friends with and helped impact the community in a positive way, absolutely.”

topics

Bryson DeChambeau The Masters LIV Golf PGA Tour

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.